Great white shark sighting triggers closure of 2-mile stretch of ocean in San Clemente, officials say
A great white shark sighting near the San Clemente pier Wednesday afternoon triggered the closure of a two-mile stretch of water, officials said.
About 2:50 p.m., hundreds of people were evacuated from the ocean after 10 witnesses reported seeing a 10-foot shark about 30 feet from the pier, said San Clemente Marine Safety Officer Blake Anderson.
Witnesses said the shark swam around for a couple minutes before heading north.
After the sighting, authorities flew a drone over the water but didn’t spot the shark. Even so, officials said, the ocean will be closed to beach-goers about a mile north and south of the pier until 7 p.m.
At that time, “if no further shark activity is reported in area, we will reopen the water and issue an advisory,” Anderson said.
On Saturday, another shark sighting prompted a similar temporary water closure. Several closures took place in May and June as well.
“This has been something we’ve been dealing with a good part of the summer,” Anderson said.
Twitter: @AleneTchek
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