A paddleboarder came face to face with two sharks after going for an early morning paddle just weeks before an unidentified ‘sea creature’ nearly capsized a fisherman and led to a UK beach being cleared.

Lifeguards cleared a Bournemouth beach last week following reports of ‘large marine life’ in the water.

Just moments before a fisherman was nearly taken under after something took his rod and reel.

However, only weeks prior to that Anthony Robins, director of IT company Dinggly, went out paddleboarding on the coast with his friend Nick when the two came across a pair of sharks.

Speaking with the Daily Echo, Mr Robins said: “The water was really flat and calm, we could see something cut through the surface 50 yards or so in front so we got closer.

“As we got closer we saw a dorsal fin and when we got even closer we saw they were sharks.”

Bournemouth Echo: Picture: Anthony RobinsPicture: Anthony Robins

The encounter happened on July 16 several weeks prior to the temporary closing at Boscombe beach, but these sea creatures were certainly more wary of humans.

The 48-year-old added: “They were very cautious so we pursued them a bit at a distance and they came underneath the board – they were not very large at all.

“They were absolutely beautiful and not in the least bit scary. It's not often you see something like that so it was a great feeling to see the sharks.”

Mr Robins caught the encounter on camera and was eager to show people when he was back on shore.

Having since read about the reports of further ‘large marine life’ in the area he said “there’s an awful lot of life out there with stacks of fish so you can see why big fish would be attracted.”

The sea creature which closed the Bournemouth beach remains unidentified and one expert thinks it could be one of a whole variety of marine life.

Speaking with the Echo, Ali Hood, Director of Conservation at the Shark Trust, said : “With no photos or clear footage the Shark Trust can only speculate on what was seen.

“But as UK waters are home to a fascinating diversity of large marine life dolphins, small whales, blue fin tuna and a variety of sharks; this sighting could be one of many exciting species.”