Shark Swims Close to Surfers at Southern California’s El Porto Beach
A shark was filmed gliding through the shallow surf at a popular Los Angeles-area beach, with its dorsal fin appearing only a few feet from nearby surfers.
The unsettling video was shared Friday by social media influencer Josh Hublitz, who captured the animal moving through the waves at El Porto Beach in Manhattan Beach.
“Surfing with sharks in Los Angeles… I’ve actually never seen a shark in El Porto before. This is the first,” Hublitz said in an Instagram post.
He added: “Ankle-deep water. That is super sketch.”
In the footage, the shark’s fin cuts above the surface as the animal travels remarkably close to the shoreline.
One Instagram commenter speculated that it may have been a harmless “baby thresher,” a shark known to pursue baitfish in shallow coastal waters.
Officials and experts have not confirmed the shark’s species.
The El Porto sighting follows several other shark encounters reported along the Southern California coast in recent months.
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On Tuesday, the Huntington Beach Fire Department shut a two-mile section of shoreline after reports of an “aggressive” 10- to 12-foot great white shark circling near Lifeguard Tower 16.
A 9-foot great white shark was also seen off La Jolla in late June. Authorities responded by putting up warning signs, although no aggressive behavior was reported.
The series of sightings has unfolded alongside unusually warm ocean temperatures associated with a powerful El Niño pattern, conditions that have coincided with an increase in unusual marine-life activity off Southern California.
Scientists say warmer waters could be encouraging some shark species to move north of their typical ranges, bringing them closer to heavily visited California beaches.
The region has also attracted other rare visitors. Two endangered olive ridley sea turtles were found nesting on Orange County beaches near Seal Beach and Huntington Beach Pier, marking the species’ first documented nests on the West Coast.
Additional sightings have included a rare hammerhead shark near Malibu and venomous sea snakes reported along the Southern California shoreline.
