Shark sightings prompt closure of two California beaches

For the second day in a row, two miles of beaches in Orange County were closed to swimmers Monday afternoon after a cluster of large sharks was spotted near the shore, authorities said.

Lifeguards at the beach said they saw three sharks estimated to be about 12 feet long on Monday. It wasn’t clear whether any of them were the same sharks spotted on Sunday.

The sightings come a week after a swimmer was attacked by a shark about 15 miles to the south at Corona del Mar State Beach.

The woman suffered a large bite, but she is expected to survive. The shark that attacked her was not found.

12:15 p.m.

A two-mile stretch of Southern California beaches closed after several large sharks were spotted over the weekend has reopened.

Officials in the cities of Huntington Beach and neighboring Seal beach said swimmers and surfers were allowed back into the water at 10:30 a.m. Monday.

A sheriff’s helicopter crew saw the sharks off Sunset Beach in Huntington Beach on Sunday afternoon. The sharks were estimated to be at least 8 feet long and 150 yards from shore.

The sighting came a week after a swimmer was attacked by a shark about 15 miles to the south at Corona Del Mar State Beach.

The woman suffered a large bite, but is expected to survive. The shark that attacked her was not found.

10:35 a.m.

A 52-year-old woman attacked by a shark last week in California is all smiles in a photograph taken as she recovers from a large bite wound that extends from her shoulder to her pelvis.

Orange County Global Medical Center provided the photo on Monday to The Associated Press.

It shows Maria Korcsmaros grinning in her hospital bed, a cast covering nearly the entire length of her right arm.

Doctors said Korcsmaros — a mom and triathlete — is expected to recover from the bite sustained May 29 at Corona Del Mar State Beach. The shark that attacked her was not found.

A two-mile stretch of beach remains closed after several large sharks were spotted over the weekend.

6 a.m.

A two-mile stretch of Orange County shoreline remains closed after several large sharks were spotted.

A sheriff’s helicopter crew saw the sharks off Sunset Beach in the city of Huntington Beach on Sunday afternoon. The sharks were estimated to be at least 8 feet long and 150 yards from shore.

The Huntington Beach Fire Department says Sunset Beach and the adjoining Surfside Beach in Seal Beach will remain closed until at least Monday morning. Closures following a shark sighting typically last between 12 to 24 hours.

The sighting came a week after a swimmer was attacked by a shark about 15 miles to the south at Corona Del Mar State Beach.

The woman suffered a large bite, but is expected to survive. The shark that attacked her was not found.

Agencies/Canadajournal