A roughly 9-foot great white shark glided past La Jolla Shores last Tuesday around 7:15 PM, prompting lifeguards to roll out advisory signs and ramp up patrols along the beach. Officials said the shark stayed outside the surf line, showed no aggressive behavior, and that beach operations stayed open. The encounter is the latest in a string of juvenile shark sightings along Southern California this spring.
According to NBC San Diego, the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department and lifeguards posted the warning signs “out of an abundance of caution” and urged beachgoers to report any marine life concerns directly to lifeguards. The station reported the sighting near La Jolla Shores at about 7:15 PM, with crews continuing to monitor the area into the evening.
Why Researchers Say More Sharks May Appear
Scientists are pointing to unusually warm Pacific waters and an ongoing marine heat wave as key reasons for the rise in juvenile white shark activity this year. Reporting in the Los Angeles Times notes that researchers have seen earlier than normal births this season and have warned that a “sharky summer” could be in store if the warm conditions hang on.
How Lifeguards Are Responding
Lifeguards boosted both vessel and beach patrols after the La Jolla Shores sighting and put up advisory signs to keep swimmers in the loop. Nearby shark reports, including two sightings off Scripps Beach that were monitored by lifeguards, led to temporary warnings but no citywide beach closures, local station 10News reported after officials found no additional sharks during follow-up searches.
Researchers with the CSULB Shark Lab say juvenile great whites are typically in the mid single-digit to low double-digit foot range, so a 9-foot shark is likely a juvenile. The lab also notes that adult great whites can reach about 20 feet in length and live for many decades.
