An aggressive shark bumped a surfer off his board late Sunday, May 26, prompting lifeguards to close the waters along a two-mile stretch of San Clemente for much of the day Monday.
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 the 24-hour closure.
The stretch of ocean one-mile north and one-mile south of the location will be closed until 8 p.m. Monday due the aggressive behavior.
The sand and beach area remain open to the public.
Beachgoers stopped short of a walkway on Monday, May 27, that leads to 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 shut down, pending no additional shark sightings, he said.
There has been no reports of shark sightings on Monday, Staubenbaur said.
Memorial Day weekend also happens to mark eight years since Maria Korcsmaros was bit by a shark while swimming off Newport Beach.
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