Shark sightings, attack lead to warnings for Calif. beachgoers
SAN DIEGO - A shark was spotted in the waters off a San Diego County beach for the second time in two days, prompting lifeguards to extend an advisory warning beachgoers of the shark sighting.
Authorities say a kayaker who was fishing off the La Jolla coast reported seeing a hammerhead shark Sunday afternoon. The kayaker said the shark followed him as he paddled toward the shore.
San Diego Fire-Rescue spokesman Lee Swanson says lifeguards also saw the shark swim toward a swimmer before turning toward deeper water.
Swanson said Sunday that a 1 1/2-mile stretch of beach from La Jolla Cove to Scripps Pier would remain under a shark advisory that was issued Saturday after a hammerhead shark circled a group of kayakers.
The shark's apparently aggressive behavior prompted lifeguards to close the beach.
Hammerhead sharks are rarely seen near the shore, San Diego lifeguard Lt. Andy Lerum told CBS San Diego affiliate KFMB. However, warm water and currents from the south made San Diego waters warmer than usual this year, he said.
Sharks aren't just hitting San Diego beaches this summer, though. On Saturday, in Morro Bay, which is about 5 1/2 hours north of San Diego, a surfer escaped injury after a great white shark bit her board.
Elinor Dempsey said she was surfing when a shark swam under her board and chomped on it, leaving an approximately 14-inch-wide bite mark. Dempsey pushed her board toward the shark as she jumped off. Following the incident, officials closed the beach for 72 hours and posted warning signs at nearby beaches.