The waters off Huntington Beach are temporarily closed this week following a report of a roughly 10- to 12-foot great white shark spotted exhibiting what officials described as "aggressive behavior." The closure, stretching approximately two miles from Seapoint Street to the Huntington Beach Pier, began Tuesday after a report came in around 3 p.m.
Derek Peters, marine safety battalion chief with the Huntington Beach Fire Department, confirmed that a foilboard surfer reported the shark circling about 300 feet offshore near Lifeguard Tower 16. While department personnel searched the area using drones, jet skis, rescue boats, and beach patrols, they were unable to independently verify the sighting. However, Peters noted that the surfer was deemed a "credible source" and was not bumped, bitten, or otherwise hurt by the shark.
The immediate closure means people are advised to stay out of the water, though they are permitted to remain on the sand. This stretch of ocean is expected to reopen Wednesday at 3 p.m., following additional patrols. This marks the second time this year that Huntington Beach has implemented a shark-related water closure; a previous incident in the spring near the pier resulted in a 24-hour closure.
Chris Lowe, director of the Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab, offered context on the sighting. He suggested the great white was likely an adult, potentially hunting for elephant seals in the area. Lowe's research team plans to head to Huntington Beach on Wednesday, equipped with drones and other tracking methods, to try and confirm the initial report.
Beyond this specific incident, Lowe highlighted a noticeable increase in shark sightings across Southern California beaches this year. This uptick has been largely attributed by experts to El Niño, a climate pattern characterized by warmer ocean waters. Southern California’s recent ocean temperatures, often between 67 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit, are particularly attractive to juvenile white sharks, typically ranging from 5 to 10 feet. These younger sharks usually congregate further south in Baja, Mexico, but increasingly warm waters there are prompting them to migrate north to our region.
Peters also mentioned that the Huntington Beach area generally sees more sharks during the fall and spring months due to their migratory patterns. Ultimately, while individual sightings like Tuesday’s can prompt closures, Lowe reminded that "sharks are around people all the time" in the ocean, regardless of whether they draw notice from beachgoers.
