Why SoCal shark sightings are up — and ways to stay safe in sharky waters

Don’t freak out, but there are always sharks swimming along Southern California beaches.

We just don’t notice them that often because sharks are not interested in people.

“We have hundreds of hours of footage of white sharks swimming right up to people or right underneath them, and not even changing their path,” said marine biologist Chris Lowe, who directs the Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab, which works with local authorities to monitor shark activity.

But shark sightings have been on the rise lately. Just last week, Newport Beach issued a temporary closure after a great white was spotted near a surfer.

Lowe said an ongoing marine heatwave is the reason we are seeing more sharks at this time of year.

Climate change and shark behavior

As climate change heats the Pacific, shark nurseries are moving farther north.

“Prior to 2015, we never saw baby white sharks north of Santa Barbara, and now there's a white shark nursery in Monterey off Santa Cruz,” said Lowe. “That's persisted mainly because Monterey Bay has been getting progressively warmer over the last 30 years.”

In Southern California, there may also be a kind of "Goldilocks" phenomenon happening for white sharks.

According to Lowe, they may be benefiting from this phase of climate change. “Their population may even be growing faster because of this,” he said. “But the real question is, will that be the case 20 years from now?”

Shark Lab director Chris Lowe searches for great whites sharks off the Huntington Beach Pier in March 2025.

(

Jason Armond

/

Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

)

Shark safety

Statistically, you are much less likely to suffer a shark bite if you’re in a group of swimmers or surfers, Lowe said.

Beaches with lifeguards are safer too, he said. Lifeguards can receive real time information about shark sightings and provide aid if something happens.

One theory for why rare shark bites happen is that a shark confuses a person for a seal, or a hand or foot for a smaller animal, such as a sting ray.

That’s why you should be extra mindful at dawn and dusk.

“Those are times when we think sharks are more active,” Lowe said. “They may be looking for prey and the light levels are getting low. So those are times, especially when the water's murky, that you may want to just simply be more careful, see if you can find a clear spot to swim or surf.”

If you see a shark, track it with your eyes.

“Let the shark know you see it,” Lowe said. “If you're on your surfboard and you see a shark fin go by, turn your board towards the fin.”

And if you lose track of the shark, look behind you. “That's what a smart predator would do to try to stay safe to check something out,” Lowe said.

If a shark is too close or you are the victim of a shark attack, Lowe said, give the shark a “good bop in the nose.” The eyes and gills are also very sensitive for sharks. So in a worst case scenario, Lowe told LAist, “those are areas that if you hit them, you strike them, they will either move away or release.”

Lowe added it's very rare for sharks to stick around after a bite. Even if there’s blood in the water, quite often the sharks just disappear. “ Those are the things that lead us to think a shark might have made a mistake,” Lowe said.