An aggressive shark bumped a surfer off of his board Sunday night, May 26, prompting lifeguards to close the waters along a two-mile stretch of San Clemente for much of Monday at least.
For update, see: San Clemente ocean reopens following “aggressive” shark incident
The incident occurred at T-Street beach just south of the San Clemente Pier at about 7:55 p.m. The surfer was bumped after seeing a large, dark object swimming toward him, said San Clemente Marine Safety Lt. Sean Staubenbaur.
The surfer came out of the water and told lifeguards about the incident, which prompted a 24-hour closure.
The stretch of ocean, one mile north and one mile south of the location, was to be closed until 8 p.m. Monday because of the aggressive behavior. As of 5 p.m., there hadn’t been a second shark sighting.
The sand and beach area remained open to the public.
Beachgoers stopped short of a walkway on Monday, May 27, that leads to a T-Street beach warning of the ocean closure. Though disappointed, the closure wouldn’t stop plans for a lemonade fundraiser Waylon Andino, 6, had planned.
“It’s Memorial Day weekend, we’ll live it up and have fun with the kids regardless and enjoy each other’s company,” said Waylon’s mom, Kylie Andino.
Pat Conboy traveled from Laguna Niguel with his son, Benet, 13, and friend Kenzo Fukushi, 13, hoping to body board at their favorite beach after a morning playing ice hockey in Aliso Viejo.
“This is their spot, we rolled up and got the news. Oh, well, what are you going to do? We’ll go back north, I guess,” said Pat Conboy, before getting back in his truck. “Salt Creek it is.”
Lifeguard agencies up and down the coast use a variety of metrics to determine when shark sightings or interactions call for closures.
A sighting of a shark 10 feet or greater calls for a closure, usually for several hours, while any kind of aggressive behavior automatically prompts a 24-hour shutdown, pending no additional shark sightings.
Memorial Day weekend marked eight years since Maria Korcsmaros was bit by a shark while swimming off of Newport Beach.
