HUNTINGTON BEACH (CNS) – A one-mile stretch of beachfront in Huntington Beach was reopened and then closed again today after multiple shark sightings. About 3:40 a.m., a Huntington Beach police helicopter patrolling over Sunset Beach spotted two 12-foot sharks and a 10-foot shark off the coast from Anderson Street, Huntington Beach Marine Safety Lt. Claude Panis said. “We also saw some juveniles — 7- to 8-footers closer to Warner Avenue,” Panis said. That prompted officials to close of access on the beaches to the water for 1.1 miles from Anderson to Warner, Panis said. Seal Beach officials “are mirroring what we’re doing,” Panis said. State park rangers who monitor Bolsa Chica state beach have also been advised of the shark sightings, Panis said. The waters will be checked again tomorrow between 7:30 and 8 a.m. to see if the beaches can be reopened, Panis said. Sharks at least 8 feet in length were spotted in the waters off Sunset Beach about 2 p.m. Sunday, prompting authorities to prohibit anyone from getting in the ocean for the rest of the day and much of this morning until 10:30 a.m., Panis said. “Whenever there’s a sighting of an 8-foot long shark, we do our due diligence and close the waters down,” Panis said. It didn’t appear, however, that the sharks were aggressive, he said. On May 29, a shark attacked a 52-year-old woman off Corona del Mar State Beach. Fitness instructor Maria Korcsmaros was swimming more than a mile out at sea — training for a half-Iron Man competition scheduled for July — when the attack happened. Korcsmaros was pulled bleeding from the ocean about 4:15 p.m. that day by lifeguards on an offshore patrol boat who noticed she was in distress. She remains hospitalized with a large bite wound that stretches from the right side of her upper body to her pelvic area. Doctors said Korcsmaros’ physical condition and discipline were instrumental in her survival from the serious injuries she suffered. She is expected to recover.
