'Aggressive' Shark Chasing Sea Lion In The Redondo Beach Surf Causes Scare

REDONDO BEACH, CA — A shark chasing a sea lion off the coast of Redondo Beach on Monday afternoon prompted lifeguards to clear people from the water and close the area down, according to fire officials.

The shark was first spotted off the Redondo Beach coastline around 4:44 p.m. near the 400 block of Esplanade Avenue, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The shark, roughly 8 to 10 feet long, appeared to be showing "aggressive behavior" as it chased down a sea lion, according to fire officials. Some reports indicated that the shark ate the sea lion, but a spokesperson with the Los Angeles County Fire Department said they weren't able to confirm that information.

"Lifeguards received a public report of a shark 10 yards from the shoreline," a Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard Division spokesperson told Patch in a written email. "Baywatch Redondo and Redondo Beach Harbor Patrol conducted a continuous search within 1 nautical mile of the Redondo Beach Pier."

Lifeguards cleared the water of swimmers, surfers and scuba divers while lifeguards conducted patrols letting the public know the beach was closed down until further notice, according to fire officials.

After no further shark sightings, the area reopened around 6 p.m. But beach officials say they remained at the scene until 7 p.m. out of an abundance of caution.

It's not unusual to see sharks in the water near the shoreline.

A study published by researchers at California State University, Long Beach's Shark Lab found that people are close to sharks about 97 percent of the time they are in the ocean, yet it is highly unlikely that the proximity leads to a bite.

The first of its kind in the United States, the two-year study conducted by researcher Patrick Rex and his team at the Shark Lab found that juvenile white sharks come close to people very often, but always moved around them or simply ignored them completely.

In California, white sharks are a protected species. Many believed that the animal's protected status would significantly raise the population along the Golden State coastline, potentially spelling danger for beachgoers. During the study, however, Rex found no evidence that an increased population of sharks led to an increase in attacks or bites.

Researchers tracked sharks with drones over 26 beaches from Santa Barbara to San Diego, using aerial surveys of nearshore ocean waters to document how close the juvenile white sharks get to waders, swimmers, surfers and stand-up paddle boarders.

Other major findings of the study showed that juvenile white sharks spend more than half of their time within 110 yards of the wave break and were even observed as close as two yards from the wave break.

"Despite these rising trends, there is little evidence of increased frequency of shark bites on humans in southern California," Rex wrote in the study.

See Also:

• At CA Beaches, There Is A Shark Nearby 97% Of The Time, Study Finds
• Shark Kills 'Pirates' Actor And Pro-Surfer
• Maui Shark Attack Kills California Doctor
• SoCal Teen Survives Gnarly Shark Attack While Surfing
• Shark Attack Closes NorCal Beach, Seriously Injures Man
• Pacifica Surfer Injured In Possible Shark Attack
• Swimmer Seriously Injured In Shark Attack In Del Mar
• After Fatal Shark Attack On OC Surfer, Shark Migration Suspected
• OC's 'Summer of the Shark' May Not End
• Great White Shark Goes Airborne Off Orange County Coast
• Newport Shark Attack Victim Survives Hours of Surgery
• Shark Sighting Closes OC Beach After Injured Whale Washes Up On Shore
• Shark Attacks In Orange County: How Likely Are They To Happen?
• WATCH: 'Speedy Gonzales' Shark Swim Off Capistrano Beach
• WATCH: Beached Great White Saved From SoCal Shore
• Great Whites Return For Pupping Season Along SoCal Coastline
• Rare Basking Shark Sighting In Dana Point

Patch Staffer Rachel Barnes contributed to this report.