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The Day We Moved an 8ft Shark Across Britain
4 min read
Table of Contents
25th Feb 2026 part 1 of 2
We once owned the largest shark in captivity in Britain.
And moving her safely across the country taught me more about responsibility than any university lecture ever could.
Our 8ft nurse shark, Nobby, was no match for the 29ft basking sharks you occasionally see off the coast of Devon.
Even though you know those monsters eat nothing but phytoplankton, you would still scream through your snorkel if you saw a 3ft wide mouth coming at you through the dark green water.
Not that I did that, of course.
I am a qualified marine biologist and diver. I am sure I calmly said:
“How interesting. A rather large Cetorhinus maximus.”
Meet Nobby the Shark #
Nobby, named after the footballer Nobby Stiles, was the centrepiece of our original store on Stratford Road.
Even today people still come into Shirley Aquatics and say:
“My dad used to bring me to see the shark when I was young.”
There was just one small problem.
Nobby was not a boy.
When University Knowledge Ruins the Plan #
I had just returned from university after completing my elasmobranch module (the posh scientific term for sharks and rays).
I took one look at Nobby and said:
“That’s a female.”
My dad, John, had recently spent £10,000 upgrading the filtration system, assuming Nobby was fully grown.
That was a lot of money in the early 1990s.
Unfortunately, I then explained something else.
Female nurse sharks grow around 50 percent larger than males.
Having seen a fully grown female in the wild, I can confirm they are absolutely massive.
Time to Find a New Home #
Dad looked at me and said:
“You’d better find her a new home.”
The Great Yarmouth Sealife Centre agreed to take her.
It was a day I will never forget.
When the Sealife team arrived, one of them genuinely said:
“We’re going to need a bigger net.”
Moving an 8ft Shark #
Two hours later, with ten people soaked to the bone, we finally had Nobby safely secured.
She was loaded into the transport tank and we began the journey to Great Yarmouth.
I followed the Sealife van in my orange Ford Fiesta, and every thirty minutes we stopped to check that she was OK.
Thankfully, she handled the journey brilliantly.
Nobby’s Journey Continued #
Nobby settled in very well at Great Yarmouth.
Eventually she outgrew that tank and moved to Portsmouth.
Later she outgrew that tank as well and moved again to Plymouth.
And that, you might think, is where the story ends.
But it isn’t.
Next time, I will tell you about a phone call I received many years later about Nobby and why it reinforced something I have believed ever since about responsibility, balance, and doing the right thing.
Moving Fish When You Move House #
We are regularly asked:
“I’m moving house. How do I transport my fish?”
The good news is that almost anything is possible.
If we knew how to safely transport an 8ft shark across the country, we can certainly help you move your treasured aquarium or pond fish while you are busy packing your entire life into boxes.
However, there are two important things to remember.
1. Preparation is everything #
When dealing with livestock, preparation matters.
If you ever need to move or temporarily relocate fish while doing work on your pond or aquarium, make sure you have:
- The right equipment
- The right containers
- The right advice beforehand
You never want to be improvising when fish are involved.
2. The margin for error is small #
Fish are resilient, but they are also sensitive to sudden changes.
When something goes wrong, things can deteriorate very quickly.
That is why planning ahead makes such a difference.
A Final Thought for Pond Owners #
If you ever move house and leave a pond behind, please do one simple thing.
Leave the new owners some clear instructions.
We often hear people say:
“I’ve just inherited this pond and I have no idea what I’m doing.”
If I had a pond for every time I heard that, I would have quite a collection by now.
At the very least, leave them our contact details, and we will happily help them get started.
All the best
Richard
