Watch: 12 Great Whites Linger in Surfside as Holiday Crowds Head to the Beach

If you thought the plot of ”Jaws” was understated, then how about 12 great whites lingering in the surf at a popular tourist beach just in time for Memorial Day Weekend?

That’s what lifeguards in Seal Beach’s Surfside are dealing with as a dozen juvenile great whites have camped out in the area for the better part of a month.

“We don’t want people to panic,” said Seal Beach Marine Safety Department Chief Joe Bailey. “It’s perfectly normal shark behavior. What’s unusual is that it’s happening here.”

The sharks, roughly 5- to 6-feet in length, are a rare site in the region. For the first time in decades, authorities have posted shark warnings for beachgoers in Seal Beach and neighboring Sunset Beach and Bolsa Chica State Beach.

At this point, lifeguards aren’t worried about unprovoked shark attacks. They’re worried about provoked attacks, triggered by people tempting fate to get up close to a great white shark, said Bailey.

“People are going out on stand-up paddle boards trying to look for them,” he said. “We understand the fascination, but it can create a dangerous situation if you corner a wild animal.”

The city reached out to California State University Professor Chris Lowe, one of the nation’s foremost experts on sharks.

The Surfside sharks are approximately a year-old, and they are probably in the area to feed on the famous sting rays that earned Seal Beach the nickname Ray Bay, Lowe told city officials.

The sharks were first sited about a month ago, and, as word spreads, more and more people are heading out to see them. While they don’t feed on large mammals such as sea lions and aren’t likely to mistake a surfer for a meal, they are big enough to be deadly if provoked, authorities are warning.

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