Sharks Are Swimming Again To US Shores

It seems that sharks are swimming again to US shores, as two of them have been spotted near Huntington Beach and Manhattan Beach, CA. The animals posed no threat however, and no one was hurt. The beaches are now open.

As Orange County Register reported, an Anaheim helicopter patrol spotted the shark in the waters of Huntington Beach. The warning was sent out at 10:49 a.m. and thus lead to further investigation. A lifeguard went by jet-ski to examine the shark, believed to have a length of 10 to 12 feet. Upon inspection, it was concluded that the animal was only a juvenile great white, which measured about 7 feet.

 As a result, the beach was closed for fifteen minutes. After the lifeguards got an insight into the situation, the beach was re-opened as a 7 feet shark poses little threat.

Lt. for Beach Marine Safety in Huntington, Claude Panis, stated that this phenomenon is common all year round, as many other baby sharks have been spotted. However, Panis declared that advisory signs of the shark will stay posted on the beach until Saturday.

The lifeguard division of the County Fire Department in Los Angeles posted on Twitter that the shark was swimming at a distance of 75 yards of the shore.

The other sighting took place near Manhattan Beach, at 12:30 p.m. The shark was spotted close to El Porto, at about 200 yards away from it. The animal was also small, the threat has been cleared and the beach stays open.

Great white sharks usually dwell in all oceans near coastal waters. They can reach sizes of 21 – 26 feet and weights of 7,000 pounds. Their bad reputation that provokes fear is grounded on the fact that the great white holds the record of the most unprovoked attacks against humans. Since 2012, 270 such attacks have been recorded.

Even though sharks are swimming again to US shores, it seems we don’t have much to worry about. The U.S. beaches are secure and the sharks that do approach the shores are in their teens. However, we should always keep an eye open for threats. As in all cases where humans invade the natural environment of animals, we should always be aware that they were there first.

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