Lifeguards warned swimmers and surfers to stay out of a stretch of ocean at two Orange County beaches Friday after a great white shark was spotted near theshore. <\/p>\n
A helicopter crew saw the 11- to 14-foot shark swimming 100 feet off Bolsa Chica State Beach about 10:40 a.m., according to Lt. Claude Panis, a spokesman for the Huntington Beach Fire Departments Marine Safety Division.A 6- to 7-foot juvenile great white shark was also spotted in the water Friday morning, he said. <\/p>\n
After the first sighting, lifeguards banned swimming from Warner Avenue to north Anderson Street in Sunset Beach. A mile of shoreline in Bolsa Chica State Beach was also closed. <\/p>\n
Heed the signs, Panis said.We are looking out for the publics safety. <\/p>\n
The water is expected to open after 24 hours if there are no additional sightings, state parks spokesman Kevin Pearsall said. <\/p>\n
Pearsall saw two surfers braving the waves early Friday afternoon despite the warnings. More than 25 surfers heeded lifeguards who advised them to leave the water, he added. <\/p>\n
Its the third sunny day in a row in a long time. Theres no wind. Its a perfect beach day, so we had a lot of surfers in the water this morning,Pearsall said. Most are complying with the request. <\/p>\n
Pearsall said the area is near where a group of juvenile great whites were lingering in 2015. <\/p>\n
The last few years we havent heard anything about them,he said. <\/p>\n
Friday was the first time this portion of the state beach has been closed in more than a year. <\/p>\n
Great white sharks have been reported several times this month elsewhere in Huntington Beach.On Tuesday, lifeguardsissued a shark advisoryafter a group of anglers accidentally reeled in a great white in Sunset Beach. On Feb. 14, afisherman hookedwhat appeared to be a juvenile 7-foot great white off the end of the Huntington Beach Pier. <\/p>\n
Authorities have said shark sightings are becoming more common in the area. A 2014 survey found there were about 2,400 great white sharks living in California waters. <\/p>\n
Last year, Chris Lowe, head of the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach, said he suspected that number has grown because of improved ocean-water quality and higher ocean temperatures. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
hannah.fry@latimes.com<\/a> <\/p>\n Twitter: @HannahFryTCN <\/p>\n veronica.rocha@latimes.com<\/a> <\/p>\n Twitter:@VeronicaRochaLA <\/p>\n ALSO 3-month-old girl dies in car fire on 5 Freeway in Tustin <\/p>\n Man pronounced dead at the Magic Castle in Hollywood <\/p>\n 'Law & Order' creator suffers legal setback in fight to sell Central Coast groundwater <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Read more: <\/p>\n Great white sharks spotted off two Orange County beaches ... - Los Angeles Times<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Lifeguards warned swimmers and surfers to stay out of a stretch of ocean at two Orange County beaches Friday after a great white shark was spotted near theshore. A helicopter crew saw the 11- to 14-foot shark swimming 100 feet off Bolsa Chica State Beach about 10:40 a.m., according to Lt. Continue reading