On Sunday, authorities closed down two miles of Orange County beaches, including Huntington Beach, due to reports of shark sightings.
The beaches were closed to the public after authorities spotted several large sharks near the coast. The Orange County Sheriff's Department spotted the sharks while onboard a helicopter at around 2 p.m. near Huntington Beach's Anderson Street.
The spotted sharks were approximately 8 feet long. They were swimming about 150 yards from the shore, said Lt. Claude Panis from Marine Safety Division of the Huntington Beach Fire Department.
"Because of the size, we closed the water down. Our policy is to close the water down for at least four hours. The beach is open. We made adjustments, posted signs and we cleared the water out," added Panis.
Over at Huntington Beach, another helicopter crew spotted three sharks, each one measuring 10 to 12 feet long, swimming in the ocean at around 3:30 p.m.
Despite the heat, Sunset Beach in Huntington Beach and Surfside Beach in Seal Beach were off limits to the public. On Monday, the cities' officials will analyze if the beaches need to remain closed.
Seal Beach lifeguard and beach supervisor Michael Diller said that closing down the beaches is a precaution they take due to the size of the spotted sharks as well as the aggressive behaviors they can potentially display.
Just last week, a 52-year-old woman survived a shark attack while swimming off the Newport Beach coast.
Aerobics instructor and personal trainer Maria Korcsmaros endured severe wounds on her body. She was brought to the Orange County Global Medical Center for a three-hour surgery.
"She had significant open wounds on her upper body and on her pelvis. Those are wounds that would have bled a lot, and she was able to tread water and hold her own until help arrived. That's pretty remarkable," said Philip Rotter, the center's orthopedic trauma surgery director.
She survived an open chest wound, several fractures on her ribs and multiple tooth marks on the right side of her body. She also lost about one liter of blood.
Korcsmaros is currently taking antibiotics to help keep any infection at bay as she recovers at the hospital.
Photo: Elias Levy | Flickr
