'Aggressive' 10- to 12-foot great white shuts 2 miles of Huntington Beach water

A great white shark estimated at 10 to 12 feet long shut down a two-mile stretch of Huntington Beach on Tuesday, Oct. 13, after officials said it showed "aggressive behavior" near shore.

Huntington Beach Marine Safety received a credible report of the shark near Lifeguard Tower 16, at Pacific Coast Highway and 16th Street, according to the Huntington Beach Fire Department. The water was closed from Seapoint to the Huntington Beach Pier, roughly a mile north and south of the tower.

What officials say

The shark was reportedly circling near the coast. Under Huntington Beach Marine Safety's shark response protocols, circling counts as aggressive behavior, and that triggers a water closure.

The fire department announced the closure on social media Tuesday evening and said it would stay in effect until 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14. "Public safety remains our top priority," the department said. Marine Safety personnel posted warning signs, and officials asked beachgoers to follow posted signs and lifeguard instructions.

No injuries were reported.

Background

It has been a busy year for sharks off Surf City. In late April, an "aggressive" shark near the pier forced a two-mile closure that canceled a day of the Vans Jack's Surfboards Pro. The contest resumed the next day.

Days later, lifeguards spotted a 9- to 10-foot great white "actively feeding on a sea lion carcass" in the surf line at Sunset Beach. That shut the water for 48 hours, one mile in each direction of Tower 12 at Pacific Avenue and 12th Street.

Reports this year have tied the activity to unusually warm water linked to El Niño, with juvenile great whites showing up earlier than usual this summer. The OC Register also reported hammerheads off Laguna Beach in August.

Bites are still rare. Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab director Chris Lowe told The Inertia that encounters remain infrequent. "The statistics show that we have white sharks around people all the time, and yet, bites are pretty rare," he said. Asked whether bites could rise, he said, "That's certainly a possibility. But we haven't seen that."

What’s next

The fire department set the closure to end at 3 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14. Before you paddle out, check posted signs and follow lifeguard instructions.