A shark knocked a surfer off of his board off the coast of San Clemente Monday, prompting authorities to close the water to swimmers and others on the busy Memorial Day holiday.

According to city officials, the ocean water was closed off late Monday morning “due to confirmed aggressive shark behavior” in the water in the vicinity of T-Street Beach.

The beaches remained open, but water access was closed until at least 8 p.m. Monday, “pending no additional shark sightings,” according to the city.

City Councilman Chris Duncan told CBS2 that surfers reported the activity to lifeguards, who reviewed surveillance footage and found video of the surfer being knocked off his board.

According to CBS2, officials from the Long Beach State University shark lab were consulted, and they determined the culprit was likely a juvenile great white shark.

No injuries were reported.

Updated 6:29 p.m. May 27, 2024

— City News Service

Beachgoers in some urban areas are probably swimming near sharks without realizing it, according to a University of Miami study that tracked their movements off the southern Florida coast.

As part of the study, three different species of shark – bull, nurse, and great hammerhead – were tagged with small transmitters and their movements monitored for several years.

The researchers had expected sharks to stay clear of crowded areas like large land animals tend to do, but instead found them spending a significant amount of time in waters where people like to take a dip.

“Although this might make you a bit nervous, to me it just proves the point that sharks really don’t want to bite people, and that, in fact, sharks really tolerate people and tend to avoid them,” said Neil Hammerschlag, director of the University of Miami’s Shark Research & Conservation Program.

Hammerschlag advises beachgoers to avoid swimming during periods of low visibility and in areas where people are fishing, but says the study is more concerning for sharks given they face threats from fishermen and polluted shorelines.

“I would say this news is probably worse for the sharks than it is for us humans,” he said.

Several shark sightings prompted lifeguards Friday to warn visitors to Scripps Beach to be vigilant when venturing into the ocean in the area.

Two surfers reported seeing a roughly 6-foot shark near the surf line at the beach north of La Jolla over the late morning, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. Neither described it as aggressive.

As precautions, lifeguards made public address announcements regarding the sightings, added extra patrols a roughly one-mile perimeter in the area and posted warning signs along the beach, SDFRD spokeswoman Monica Munoz said.

The advisory was rescinded as of 4 p.m. when there were no additional sightings of any sharks by SDFD lifeguards and beach visitors, according to Munoz.

— City News Service

Scientists are using drones and other technology to study great white sharks along the coast of Southern California to better understand interactions between these marine predators and people and assess the risks to human beachgoers.

The two-year study by the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach deploys drones for aerial surveillance of the sharks and uses underwater robots, while the scientists also tag some sharks using a spear that fits the animals with a transmitter to track their movements.

“Drones have actually changed our world. They’ve become a much more powerful, cost effective tool. So in the past we used helicopters and planes and it was very expensive,” Shark Lab Director Chris Lowe told Reuters.

Despite carnage depicted in films like “Jaws” and “Sharknado,” shark attacks on people are rare — humans kill exponentially more sharks than sharks kill humans — but they can be deadly. The Maine Department of Marine Resources said a 63-year-old New York City woman died on Monday after being attacked by a great white shark while swimming in the Atlantic.

“Despite the fact that shark populations are going up and more people are using the water than ever before, we’re not really seeing more people actually being bitten by sharks,” Lowe said. “In fact, in some years, the rate has gone down. So what that tells us, as a scientist, is that we’re not on their menu at all. But occasionally accidents happen.”

From Santa Barbara to San Diego, the Shark Lab researchers have been flying drones along the coastline to count the number of sharks and people and look at the proximity of the creatures to the shore and swimmers. Researchers were recently at work in Del Mar, which is home to a great white shark nursery.

Lowe said he hopes the research will help lifeguards protect the public by better understanding how sharks behave and whether some species are more aggressive than others.

Shark Lab researcher Patrick Rex said the scientists are trying to determine what environmental factors increase the likelihood of people encountering the sharks.

“We’re also trying to figure this out for white sharks as well, what environmental parameters bring them closer to shore and maybe closer to humans,” Rex said.

San Clemente’s beaches will remain off limits to swimmers Tuesday morning after being reopened only briefly on Monday.

Lifeguards first closed the city’s beaches around 10:30 a.m. Sunday after an eight to nine-foot shark was spotted off the San Clemente Pier. Another shark was spotted off the pier at 1 p.m.

The closure was extended at 4 p.m. after an Orange County Sheriff‘s helicopter spotted more than two dozen sharks within 25 yards of the beach between Cotton’s Point and Capistrano Beach, some up to 10 feet long.

The beaches were reopened around 8 a.m. Monday morning, with lifeguards posting signs advising beachgoers to “swim at your own risk, but were closed again by 9:45 a.m. A 12-foot shark and a 10-footer were spotted around 8:15 a.m., then some 20 sharks were counted between San Clemente Pier and Capistrano Beach in Dana Point, prompting a decision to close San Clemente beaches once again and reassess the situation this morning, the Orange County Register reported.

San Clemente’s beaches were closed in April when a shark bit a woman in the thigh and earlier this month when 15 sharks were observed swimming offshore.

Long Beach has issued shark advisories this month warning swimmers of the sightings of juvenile white sharks, some as long as six feet, near Belmont Shore.

Chris Lowe, who directs the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach, says residents should be worried about shark encounters, but also encouraged at seeing populations grow again after years of protective measures.

Shark populations are coming back, so obviously encounters will increase,” he told Vice News. They’re at the beaches for many of the same reasons we go to the beach. It’s a safe place to hang out.”

He also says warmer water could be causing them to live in places they’ve never lived before, and that rising sea levels could be pushing them closer to shores, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

— City News Service

SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment  and world-renowned marine artist and conservationist Guy Harvey Thursday announced a new partnership focused on ocean health and the plight of sharks in the wild.

The two organizations will partner to raise awareness of these important issues, and collaborate on science and research to increase understanding of how to better protect these critical predators and their habitats.

“SeaWorld is committed to raising awareness of the plight of sharks in the wild and the oceans they live in.  As part of our commitment that we made in March of this year, we will put meaningful dollars, research and man hours towards reducing this troubling trend,” Joel Manby, president and CEO of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment said.  “The Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation and Guy Harvey Research Institute have been front and center in this effort for years, and we are proud to open a new chapter in those efforts today.”

Research indicates upwards of 100 million sharks are killed every year in the global shark fishery. The Guy Harvey Research Institute estimates 73 million per year for the fin trade alone. Members of SeaWorld’s animal care team recently joined a Guy Harvey Research Institute shark tagging expedition off the coast of Mexico, tagging six Mako sharks over the course of four days.  Those tagged sharks will be followed by students and researchers at Guy Harvey’s Institute at Nova Southeastern University, and can be viewed by the public online at www.GHRItracking.org.

“The partnership with SeaWorld will ensure our ocean conservation messages and our efforts to protect Mako sharks reach a broader audience here in the United States and worldwide,” said renowned scientist, marine wildlife artist and conservationist Dr. Guy Harvey. “We are thrilled to gain the support of the SeaWorld team as we continue to bring educational initiatives and conservation efforts to life.”

In addition to the science and research efforts, Guy Harvey and SeaWorld will also work together to increase public awareness about ocean health and the need for shark conservation.  SeaWorld’s new roller coaster, Mako, will be a major platform for this effort.  In the queue lines for the new coaster, guests will be educated and entertained through digital platforms that provide access to the real science of sharks in the wild and ways they can help protect them with Guy Harvey himself as the host.  Elsewhere in the realm guests will have access to real-time shark tracking and videos from Guy Harvey’s vast library of compelling and visually stunning shark expeditions.  Interactive materials will also share information about shark conservation and ways to get involved.

Guy Harvey will also commission an array of exclusive paintings and apparel, which will be available only at SeaWorld.  SeaWorld will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of such items directly to the Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation.  The world-renowned artist will be making park appearances, including the painting of a signature Mako mural for the attraction launch.