It is the first 30 seconds of this video filmed by drone that is really interesting. Gavin Maxwell was among the first to describe ‘shoals’ of hundreds of basking sharks layers deep in the sea and as far as the eye could see. How these giants interact in these shoals in still an interesting area of research ‘head to tailing’ is evident in this video, but is this the time when they meet up and mate? The use of drones gives us another technological breakthrough into understanding these poorly understood animals. (Bob Earll)

Basking Shark Scotland: ‘Stunning footage shows the largest school of basking sharks spotted in Scotland this year. Tour operator’s Basking Shark Scotland spotted 50 sharks on the tidelines between Coll and Tiree in the inner Hebrides yesterday. Breath taking drone footage was shared online showing the gigantic creatures, known to be the second largest fish in the world, gliding along together while feeding off plankton. During the 30 second clip, the tourer’s tiny boat can be spotted just metres from the sharks. The Mull-based organisation recorded 11 reports involving 15 sharks while far larger numbers of sightings have been made in previous years. Basking Shark Scotland owner, Shane Wasile said: “We’ve had shark sightings for a few weeks now, probably from about April, but this was the first big aggregation of the year.

Click here to see the video: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-36925300