Huntington Beach closes stretch of coast after great white shark sighting

A surfer reported seeing a 10- to 12-foot great white shark circling near shore at Huntington Beach in Southern California on Tuesday afternoon.

The Huntington Beach Fire Department called the report credible, and officials said circling is treated as aggressive behavior under local safety rules.

They closed a two-mile stretch between Seapoint and the Huntington Beach pier and told visitors to stay out of the water, while leaving the sand open.

The closure was set to last through Wednesday afternoon, and no attack or injury was reported.

Scientists say warmer El Niño waters may keep juvenile white sharks near Southern California later in the year, but shark bites in California are extremely rare.

The sighting was the second reported at Huntington Beach this year, and the state says it has recorded fewer than 250 shark incidents since 1950, fewer than 20 of them fatal.