Huntington Beach officials temporarily closed stretches of beach between Warner Avenue and Anderson Street due to a shark sighting by a beachgoer between 12:30 and 1 p.m. on July 18.
“The shark was estimated to be between 8 and 12 feet,” city spokeswoman Jennifer Carey said.
“Based on those sizes, it may not be a juvenile shark.”
The city’s policy states that if a shark shows aggressive behavior or is a certain size, then the waters are closed for at least four hours, Carey said.
Authorities closed Sunset Beach between Warner Avenue & Anderson Street for several hours.
The beach was expected to remain closed for several hours with the possibility of being reopened between 5 to 6 p.m., according to Carey.
The stretch of Sunset Beach brought in a moderate crowd of beachgoers Monday afternoon with temperatures around 75 Fahrenheit degrees and a surf height ranging from 2–4 feet, along with water temperatures at 69 degrees.
Huntington Beach lifeguards were quick to post shark sighting warning signs in the sand while beachgoers remained out of the water watching the waterline from the shade of their pop-up canopies.
