A shark sighting near the Oceanside Pier prompted lifeguards to close down the beach Friday as a precaution.
A shark breached in front of an Oceanside lifeguard around 12:35 p.m., Oceanside police Sgt. Tom Bussey said.
The shark was proximately 12 feet long and swimming approximately 100 yards offshore on the south side of the pier, lifeguard Lt. Gregory Trebbe said.
A one-mile stretch on each side of the pier was shut down, he said.
Oceanside lifeguards launched a drone to search for the shark but weren’t able to find it, the lieutenant said.
Lifeguards were making announcements warning beachgoers about the shark sighting.
It was unknown what kind of shark it was, he said.
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Adjacent lifeguard agencies have been notified, Trebbe said.
Shark sightings are rare along the Southern California shoreline and sharks typically are just passing through, he said.
Last month, a 13-year-old boy was attacked by a great white shark while lobster diving off the coast of Encinitas, approximately 13 miles from the Oceanside Pier.
Doctor Chris Lowe with the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach said while shark attacks are extremely rare, locals should be aware that fall is a time where more sharks may be along the Southern California coastline.
University of San Diego researchers said while shark sightings are becoming more frequent off the California coast, it is extremely rare for anyone in the world to be bitten.
In April 2017, a woman was attacked by a shark in the waters off San Onofre State Beach near Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. The last time a shark attack has been deadly in San Diego County was in Solana Beach in 2008.
