Aggressive Shark Forces Newport Beach Closures

Beaches in Newport Beach and Huntington State Beach will remain closed today after a shark became aggressive with a surfer Thursday afternoon.

The beach closure extends from 56th Street in newport Beach to about a mile south of Brookhurst Street at Huntington State Beach. The incident occurred at about 3:30 p.m. Thursday, said Newport Beach Lifeguard Dispatcher Mark Herman. A 6 to 8-foot shark bumped a surfer from beneath the surfboard. An off-duty lifeguard was surfing at the time and witnessed the aggressive behavior, said Herman.

Per protocol, the beach closures will remain in effect for 24 hours, at which point the beaches will reopen if there haven’t been any more shark sightings, said Herman.

It’s the second time this summer that an aggressive shark prompted beach closures in Huntington Beach. Shark sightings or aggressive behaviors have prompted closures or shark warnings from Seal Beach to San Clemente in recent months.

More than a dozen juvenile great sharks have taken up residency in the Surfside area sharply increasing the number of shark sightings and reportedly impacting the local surf school industry.

City News Service; Photo: Wikimedia Commons