Southern California beach closed after great white shark sighting
Officials in Huntington Beach, California, closed a two-mile stretch of beach on Tuesday after a credible report of a 10–12ft great white shark circling near a lifeguard tower. The closure remains in place until Wednesday afternoon.
A popular beach in Huntington Beach, in Orange county in southern California, was closed on Tuesday afternoon after a great white shark was reported to be behaving aggressively. The beach is popular with surfers and swimmers.
The Huntington Beach fire department said it had received a credible report of a 10–12ft (roughly 3–3.7 metre) great white circling close to a lifeguard tower. Under the city's marine safety division shark response protocols, that behavior is classed as aggressive.
Officials shut a two-mile stretch of shoreline between Seapoint and the Huntington Beach pier. The closure runs through Wednesday afternoon. Workers have put up warning signs and informed visitors. The fire department urged people to follow all posted signs and lifeguard instructions, saying public safety remains its top priority.
Higher shark numbers this summer
California recorded an unusually high number of great white sharks over the summer. Juvenile sharks left warm waters off Mexico during the El Niño climate pattern. Experts said people should not be alarmed.
Incidents are rare
The California department of fish and wildlife describes shark bites in the state as extremely rare. Since 1950 there have been fewer than 250 shark incidents in California, and fewer than 20 of them were fatal. Scientists generally agree that such incidents are exploratory bites, in which sharks investigate unusual objects in their environment, such as kayaks.
