An aggressive shark knocked a surfer off his board Sunday evening, May 26, prompting rescuers to close the waters along a two-mile stretch of San Clemente for much of at least Monday.
For the update, see: San Clemente ocean reopens following ‘aggressive’ shark incident
The incident happened at T-Street Beach, just south of the San Clemente Pier, around 7:55 p.m. The surfer was struck after seeing a large, dark object swimming toward him, the lieutenant said. Sean Staubenbaur of San Clemente Marine Safety.
The surfer got out of the water and informed lifeguards of the incident, leading to a 24-hour closure.
The ocean area 1 mile north and 1 mile south of the site was scheduled to be closed until 8 p.m. Monday due to the aggressive behavior. As of 5 p.m., there had been no second shark sightings.
The sand and beach area remained open to the public.
Beachgoers stopped before a boardwalk Monday, May 27, that leads to a T-Street beach warning of the ocean closure. Although disappointed, the closure didn’t stop the lemonade fundraising plans that 6-year-old Waylon Andino had planned.
“It’s Memorial Day weekend, we’re going to celebrate and have fun with the kids regardless and enjoy each other’s company,” said Waylon’s mother, Kylie Andino.
Pat Conboy came from Laguna Niguel with his son Benet, 13, and friend Kenzo Fukushi, 13, hoping to bodyboard at their favorite beach after a morning playing ice hockey in Aliso Viejo.
“It’s their spot, we arrived and got the news. Oh, well, what are you going to do? We’ll head back north, I guess,” Pat Conboy said before getting back into his truck. “It’s Salt Creek.”
Lifeguard agencies along the coast use various metrics to determine when shark sightings or interactions require closures.
A sighting of a shark 10 feet or larger requires a closure, usually for several hours, while any type of aggressive behavior automatically results in a 24-hour closure, pending no additional shark sightings.
Memorial Day weekend marked the eighth anniversary of Maria Korcsmaros being bitten by a shark while swimming off the coast of Newport Beach.
