San Clemente Beach Reopens After Shark Scare

Two shark sightings -- one on Thursday night and another on Friday morning -- prompted the closure of San Clemente Beach until noon today, when they were reopened.

“It hasn’t been seen for 24 hours so we’re reopening the beaches in just a few minutes,” Marine Safety Officer Ian Burton told City News Service at 11:45.

A six- to seven-foot shark was spotted in the water at 7 p.m. Thursday, but there was virtually no one in the water and the sun was setting, so there was no closure.

A surfer spotted the same shark, or a similar shark, at about 11:30 a.m. Friday near Tower 5 at T Street. That prompted lifeguards to close the one- mile part of the beach under the city’s jurisdiction, according to Burton, and California State Parks closed its beach south of San Clemente, near Trestles.

A supervising lifeguard on a jet ski advised everyone to get out of the water, Burton said. When everyone was safely ashore, the lifeguard went looking for the shark, found it and trailed it for about 90 minutes, according to Burton.

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• City News Service

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