‘Aggressive’ great white shark forces sudden closure of SoCal beach

A massive great white shark exhibiting “aggressive behavior” has triggered a beach shutdown in Huntington Beach, with officials ordering swimmers out of the water until Wednesday afternoon.

The 10- to 12-foot predator was spotted near Lifeguard Tower 16 shortly before 5 p.m. Tuesday, prompting the Huntington Beach Fire Department to close the beach from Seapoint Street to the Huntington Beach Pier until 3 p.m. Wednesday.

“Please obey posted signs and lifeguard instructions,” officials warned in a post to X.

It was not immediately clear whether the shark had been spotted in the area before.

The sighting comes as unusually warm ocean temperatures linked to a powerful El Niño pattern have coincided with a string of unusual marine-life encounters off Southern California.

Last month, two sea turtles were spotted nesting on Orange County beaches for the first time on record — one near Seal Beach and another near the Huntington Beach Pier.

Other recent sightings include a rare hammerhead shark off Malibu, a whale shark and venomous sea snakes spotted along the Southern California coast.

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