San Diego Shark Sighting Clears Beach

A swath of San Diego’s Mission Beach was closed Thursday after a lifeguard saw what he estimated to be 18-inches of a shark fin piercing out of the water.

Lifeguard Todd Rice told the San Diego Union Tribune that he was paddling his rescue board when he saw the fin about 70 yards away. An 18-inch fin could be consistent with a 15-foot shark.

Great White Sharks are frequently sighted off the shore of southern California. Last year, two White Sharks were spotted and filmed by a stand-up paddler not terribly far from Mission Beach, a densely packed site in summer.

Thursday's sighting prompted a huge hunt as helicopters were dispatched to look for the massive fish, but no evidence of the predator was found.

Though shark attacks are quite rare, they are more probable around beaches like Mission Beach, where people use kayaks, surfboards and any other water sports equipment that can make them look like a seal from below.

Comments

[Robert Fanney]

12:53 PM on 08/27/2011

Not something you want to see from water level...

[Rhek]

07:44 AM on 08/27/2011

Farewell and adieu to you, Spanish Ladies,
Farewell and adieu to you, ladies of Spain;
For we've received orders for to sail for San Diego,
But we hope in a short time to see you again.

[sprootles]

08:43 PM on 08/26/2011

I think we're gonna need a bigger boat...

[DmKrispin]

06:52 PM on 08/26/2011

So, the pic of the shark HuffPo using is NOT a pic of the shark that the surfer sighted? And they call this good journalism?

[djmotise]

11:54 AM on 08/27/2011

That is correct. It is NOT the pic. They use this false advertising all the time. That was just a stock photo of a shark, and they made it sound like that was the shark they sighted, yet no aerial shot of any shark was ever spotted or taken. This is the worst kind of journalism, yet they all do it. HuffPost is among the worst offenders.

[bcscholar]

04:22 AM on 08/28/2011

Maybe the worst but who the hell wants to capture a pic of a 15ft shark, if it was even present...lol.

[Matt Chernesky]

03:38 PM on 08/26/2011

When my boyfriend was vacationing on the East Coast, I think by the Carolinas, they were vacationing near the beach. And while they were there, a girl had gotten attacked by a shark in the water. That didn't thrill him whatsoever and he didn't swim at all for the rest of the trip at the beach (I don't blame him). Living by Lake Erie, we don't have to deal with sharks, but sharks still freak me out. They're both beautiful and terrifying.

[Garudastan]

09:25 AM on 08/28/2011

I have a friend of friend who said his friend heard of that a friend's friend heard about this guy who really heard about this young woman who lived someone who personally knew the same gal who heard the same thing. Isn't that weird

[Goliadkin]

04:37 PM on 08/28/2011

What a coincidence! I just read that same thing on HuffPo, in the Comments section, not 15 seconds ago. Here's a link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Garudastan/san-diego-shark-sighting-_n_937667_105136169.html

[Matt Chernesky]

05:22 PM on 08/28/2011

No wonder you only have 1 fan.

[SimianNation]

01:47 PM on 08/26/2011

KNOCK
"Who's there?"
"Pizza guy"

Door opens

LAND SHARK!

[sprootles]

09:34 AM on 08/26/2011

Whoa. A shark in the ocean? Who'd of thunk it?

It's the ocean, people. There will be sharks.

[luv2talkjh]

04:10 PM on 08/28/2011

That's one of the things I like about Michigan. Any beach near us is one of the freshwater Great Lakes where about the only threat you'll find are Walleye. lol

[luv2talkjh]

04:11 PM on 08/28/2011

and thunk isn't a word. It's thought.

[songbird4243]

09:30 AM on 08/26/2011

Oh boy I plan on going to San Diego in two weeks near Mission Beach too...Thank goodness I won't be out near the water...

[socalcde]

01:56 PM on 08/26/2011

Why would you go there and not go near the water?