A fisherman was left stunned after discovering thousands of giant spider crabs had mysteriously appeared overnight at a popular harbour.
Commercial fisherman Daniel Gilbert was heading out on his boat when he was confronted with the astonishing sight.
Footage shows the huge crustaceans carpeting the harbour floor, while others can be seen crawling over one another and scaling the harbour wall.
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The gathering of crabs appeared to have arrived overnight, covering the shallows around Newquay Harbour.
Daniel was also joined by local seals, who bobbed next to his boat.
The 37-year-old said the crabs were in the middle of their annual shedding process, during which they lose their hard outer shells and temporarily become incredibly soft.
He said: “The shedding process takes a month – they go like jelly.
“You can pick them up, they’re just like jelly.
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“They look dead but they are alive.
“Honestly, it’s quite creepy.”
Daniel said the spectacle is an annual occurrence around July and August, and is something he has witnessed throughout his years as a fisherman.
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He said: “I see it every year. I’ve been a fisherman since a young lad.”
However, even though he is accustomed to seeing the crabs arrive, he was taken aback by the sheer scale of this year’s gathering.
Daniel said: “I was very surprised, never seen so many at one time at the harbour.
“Honestly, I can’t get over how many there is.
“Imagine standing on all that.
“It would hurt, wouldn’t it?”
The fisherman also urged people visiting Newquay to head down and see the unusual sight for themselves.
He added: “You very rarely get to see this.
“It’s an amazing sight, to be honest.”
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