Newport and Huntington beaches reopen after surfer’s shark encounter
A 200-yard stretch of Newport and Huntington beaches reopened to swimmers Friday morning after a reported shark encounter that forced beachgoers out of the water the day before.
Authorities closed the water from Newland Street in Huntington Beach to 56th Street in Newport Beach at about 4 p.m. Thursday after a surfer reported an 8-foot shark had bumped his board, lifting him about a foot out of the water just north of the Santa Ana River at Huntington State Beach. The surfer was not injured.
The shark’s contact with the surfer was considered to be “aggressive behavior” and prompted the closure, Newport Beach lifeguard Battalion Chief Mike Halphide said. The shark’s species is not known.
Huntington State Beach reopened to surfers and swimmers about 6 a.m. Friday, but Newport’s stretch of beach remained closed until about 10:30 a.m. as rescue boats and a helicopter combed the shoreline for the shark.
“We have increased lifeguard patrols to ensure there isn’t any other kind of occurrence,” said California State Parks Capt. Kevin Pearsall.
Signs warning of a shark sighting were posted along vehicle entrances to Huntington State Beach and at the Newport Beach lifeguard towers, cautioning surfers and swimmers to enter the water at their own risk.
But the prospect of an encounter with a toothy predator wasn’t enough to keep dozens of surfers out of the ocean Friday.
“You know they’re out there, so there’s no use worrying about it,” said Blake Garrett of Huntington Beach. “I think driving on the 405 [Freeway] is more dangerous than surfing out here.”
A group of surfers in Newport Beach paused when they learned of the shark advisory as they walked toward the water shortly before 10 a.m., but decided the waves were worth the risk.
Jonny Fountain hadn’t heard about the shark before he left his Santa Monica home early Friday to surf with friends in West Newport. But he said he wasn’t worried.
“The chances of a shark biting me when there are all these people out here are slim,” he said, pointing toward the water. “I drove a long way to get here; there’s no way I’m not going in.”
Other Newport beachgoers, including young surfers participating in the Erik Nelsen Surf Camp, decided to stick to the sand.
An instructor with the all-day surf camp said it wouldn’t allow students to go in the water even after the beach reopened. Instead, kids sat on their towels keeping an eye out for shark fins.
This is the second time this summer that a report of an aggressive shark has prompted a beach in Huntington to close to swimmers and surfers. On July 10, a surfer reported that a great white shark bumped him while he was on his board near Beach Boulevard.
On Aug. 11, junior lifeguards were removed from the water off Huntington State Beach when a 6-foot great white shark was reported about 40 yards from shore. Since that shark was not considered aggressive, the beach and water remained open, although the junior lifeguards were kept out of the sea the rest of the day.
About a dozen great white sharks have been reported since March between Surfside and the entrance of Huntington Harbour. Experts say warmer ocean conditions and an abundance of prey along local beaches stemming from efforts to restore fish nurseries could be responsible for the increase in sightings.