Hammerhead shark in Malibu; everyone clears out ... except surfers
Los Angeles County lifeguards were monitoring the waters off Malibu Tuesday afternoon after two fisherman briefly hooked an 8-foot hammerhead shark, officials said.
The shark was spotted about 2:45 p.m. when it bit a fisherman’s line off the pier, said lifeguard Capt. Ken Haskett. Though it broke away, it was caught again on another fisherman’s line a few minutes later.
When lifeguards confirmed it was a hammerhead – and a large one at that – they dispatched boats to warn the dozens of kayakers, surfers and paddle boarders that were in the water.
“The kayakers and paddlers exited, but the surfers…some of them stayed in the water,” Haskett said.
Lifeguards did not close off the water because the shark did not appear aggressive, he said.
Sea life has returned to the bay, and with it an upswing in shark sightings, as water quality has improved in recent years, Haskett said.
“It’s definitely helped bring back the smaller marine life – hence the larger marine life. It’s a good sign,” he said.
Lifeguards planned to continue patrolling the waters Tuesday afternoon, Haskett said.
Farther south in Huntington Beach, an uptick in hammerhead sightings could be partially attributed to El Nino, which is drawing the predators’ food source farther north than normal, according to marine biologists.
For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna.
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