Better safe than sorry, especially in the Santa Cruz County vicinity. Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Rio del Mar State Beach in Santa Cruz County, California will remain closed for 48 hours after a junior lifeguard youth aide was brushed by a shark on Tuesday, July 1.
The incident occurred at 10:53 a.m. as the aide was setting up a buoy 100 yards offshore. The aide reported being bumped by a shark roughly six to eight feet in length. Three lifeguards entered the ocean to extricate the aide, who was not injured.
Junior lifeguards who witnessed the encounter told local news outlet KSBW they saw a shark jumping out of the water.
The rescue triggered responses from local emergency agencies. Initially responding to a shark attack, emergency services downgraded the incident to a shark encounter after assessing the scene.
Lifeguards posted notices that read “Shark incident. Do not enter.” The beach will remain closed until 11 a.m. on Thursday, July 3, across a two-mile zone stretching a mile north and south of the incident.
Chris Lowe, who runs the California Shark Beach Safety Program, explained to Lookout Santa Cruz that the geographic beach closure and timeline are based on best practices derived from data on shark movements and risk factors.
“Thankfully, everyone is okay,” said State Parks Public Safety Superintendent Captain Gabe McKenna. “It wasn’t an attack. We’re very grateful that the lifeguards that responded, the youth that were out there, and everyone (involved) were able to get to shore safely.”
The stretch of beaches in Southern Santa Cruz County – and further south in the Monterey Bay – is known for its activity of great white sharks, earning the zone the moniker “shark park.” The most recent shark attack in the area occurred in 2020 when surfboard shaper Ben Kelly was fatally attacked at Manresa State Beach, three miles south of Tuesday’s encounter.
