A 10-to-12-foot great white shark circling near shore forced an immediate water closure at Huntington Beach, a precaution officials tied to aggressive behavior protocols.
FOX Weather reported that Huntington Beach Marine Safety received a credible report of the large shark off the popular Southern California beach, near Lifeguard Tower 16 along the Pacific Coast Highway and 16th Street.
Officials closed the water from Seapoint to the Huntington Beach Pier, roughly one mile north and south of the tower, and posted warning signs while notifying beachgoers. The shutdown was set to remain in effect until 3 p.m. local time Wednesday.
Under Marine Safety’s shark response protocols, circling near the coast is classified as “aggressive.” No injuries were reported from the Huntington Beach sighting itself.
The Huntington Beach Fire Department spelled out the scope of the precaution in plain terms.
"As a precaution, the water is being closed from Seapoint to the Huntington Beach Pier, approximately one mile north and south of Tower 16,"
The sighting arrived amid unusually warm ocean temperatures linked to a powerful El Niño, conditions that can draw more sharks toward the Southern California coast. FOX Weather noted the broader migration question and brought on Dr. Chris Lowe, professor of marine biology and director of the Shark Lab in the Department of Biological Sciences, to discuss how the pattern may shape the summer.
Orange County has seen this drill before. Fox News reported that several large sharks estimated at least 8 feet long were spotted about 150 yards from shore off Sunset Beach in Huntington Beach, prompting closure of a two-mile stretch that included Sunset Beach and adjoining Surfside Beach in Seal Beach until at least Monday morning. That episode came a week after a swimmer was bitten at Corona Del Mar State Beach roughly 15 miles south; the victim suffered a large bite and was expected to survive. Closures after such sightings typically last 12 to 24 hours.
Huntington Beach Fire Department messaging on that separate closure kept the same cautious line: Sunset Beach and Surfside Beach would stay closed until at least Monday morning.
Local protocols are not new. In a 2015 Huntington Beach case detailed by Breitbart, a surfer was bumped by a 5-to-8-foot great white about 30 yards from shore around 8:45 a.m. The shark left marks on the board. Authorities closed about two miles of water for roughly 24 hours after the contact met the city’s aggressive-behavior standard.
A city alert at the time stated the rule cleanly.
"The ‘bump’ meets the criteria for aggressive behavior, and with that our protocols call for a precautionary closure of the water for 1 mile in both directions."
Shark expert Chris Lowe of Cal State University, Long Beach said that shark may have been curious or startled when it hit the board.
"The shark could have been curious and may have become scared, which caused it to react by bumping the board."
Breitbart also noted a longer trend: California shark attacks have fallen sharply since the 1950s even as Southern California sightings have risen with warmer water. Beach managers still treat credible near-shore reports as an immediate public-safety call, not a waiting game.
In the latest Huntington Beach case, Marine Safety acted on a credible report, labeled the circling behavior aggressive under existing protocols, posted warnings, and pulled people out of a mile of water in each direction from Tower 16. That is the job, protect swimmers and surfers first, reopen when the risk window closes.
Warm water and busy beaches do not cancel the fact that a 10-to-12-foot great white near the surf line is still a great white. Common-sense closures beat wishful thinking every time.
