Recently there have been rumors of great white sharks along the So Cal coast, leaving some beach goers worried. However, Orange County lifeguards said they have no plans to close the beach based the recent report of a great white shark attack here in Huntington Beach.
Earlier this month, Tom Larkin was convinced that a shark bumped and bit his surfboard on the back end while waiting for a wave at Bolsa Chica State Beach. Huntington Beach lifeguards dismiss this and other reports. "Even though great whites have been spotted in the area in years past as far as we know, there's not any evidence there's great whites in our vicinity," said Steve Reuter, marine safety officer, of the Huntington Beach city lifeguards.
The only shark-related incident recently was an injured 3-foot mako shark, which normally stays in deep water, which washed ashore in HB and subsequently lifeguards had to destroy it due to it's condition. Usually dolphins are easily mistaken as sharks by the untrained eye. But afterall, "It's springtime; people are saying 'shark' and they're freaking out," Reuter said.
If you want to keep abreast of eyewitness reports on shark attacks, check out
www.sharkresearchcommittee.com/index.html - a nonprofit research website.
