A 2-mile (3.2-kilometer) stretch of a popular Southern California beach was closed for the Memorial Day holiday after a shark bumped a surfer off his board the night before, authorities said.
San Clemente officials said Monday they decided to restrict water access at all its beaches for security purposes.
A surfer said he was bumped off his surfboard by something dark gray Sunday night, according to city officials. When he got out of the water immediately, he saw his board was damaged.
After another man reported a dark object swimming toward him, lifeguards closed the water access because sharks’ behavior of swimming toward or coming near people is considered “aggressive.'"
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“'Aggressive' would be the way it’s swimming, makes any contact,” San Clemente Marine Safety Lt. Sean Staudenbaur said. “If its mouth is open, rushing at a swimmer – those are our criteria of what determines ‘aggressive.’”
Lifeguards said the incidents involving sharks’ aggressive behavior are rare.
Authorities said they flied drones to locate any sharks that may be in the area and monitor their activity.
Shark behavior in the vicinity of T-Street Beach has restricted water access to all San Clemente beaches until 8 p.m. -- pending no additional shark sightings, according to a city officials in a news statement.
