2-mile stretch of O.C. beaches closed again after sharks spotted near coast

For the second day in a row, two miles of beaches in Orange County were closed to swimmers Monday afternoon after a cluster of large sharks was spotted near the shore, authorities said.

A police helicopter was conducting a routine flyover of the coast about 3:30 p.m. when officials spotted three sharks near Anderson Street, close to the border between Huntington Beach and Seal Beach, according to Lt. Claude Panis with the Huntington Beach Fire Department’s Marine Safety Division.

The sharks measured 10 to 12 feet in length and were seen about 50 yards from the shore, Panis added.

Officials restricted swimming in Sunset Beach and the adjoining Surfside Beach in Seal Beach. The same stretch of sand was closed Sunday afternoon after an Orange County Sheriff’s Department helicopter spotted sharks near Anderson Street, Panis said.

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The beaches were reopened about 10:30 a.m. Monday after public safety officials surveyed the water off the coast by drone, boat and helicopter and did not spot any sharks, according to Joe Bailey, the chief of the Seal Beach Marine Safety and Lifeguards Department.

The beach closures come a week after a 52-year-old woman was attacked by a shark while swimming off the coast of Newport Beach.

No attacks or aggressive behavior by sharks were reported. Officials said the restriction on swimming and surfing was a precautionary measure.

Officials in each city will decide Tuesday morning whether to reopen the beaches.

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