An “aggressive” great white shark led to closure of a two-mile stretch of beach.. Photo: Huntington Beach Fire Department // Instagram
There are more than just surfers in the waters of Huntington Beach. In response to a shark sighting Tuesday, officials closed off a swath of coastline in Surf City, U.S.A.
The Huntington Beach Fire Department announced the closure on social media Tuesday evening. According to an Instagram post, a reported 10 to 12-foot great white shark was exhibiting “aggressive behavior” near Tower 16. “The shark was reportedly circling, a behavior classified as aggressive under Marine Safety’s shark response protocols,” HBFD explained.
In response, officials closed a two-mile stretch of beach from Seapoint to the Huntingon Beach Pier. The area remained off-limits until 3:00 p.m. Wednesday. “Marine Safety personnel are currently posting warning signs and notifying beachgoers,” the post continued. “Please follow all posted signs and instructions from lifeguards. Public safety remains our top priority.”
It’s been an unusually sharky summer for Southern California. Juvenile great white sharks appeared earlier than usual, potentially because of a marine heat wave fueled by El Niño. While the chances of seeing one were elevated, however, professor of marine biology and director of California State University Long Beach’s Shark Lab Chris Lowe told The Inertia the chances of an encounter remain infrequent. When asked if there could be an increase in bites, he replied, “That’s certainly a possibility. But we haven’t seen that. The statistics show that we have white sharks around people all the time, and yet, bites are pretty rare.”
