Surfer's Bump With Shark Prompts Beach Closures

SEAL BEACH (CBSLA.com) — The beach closure starts at the Seal Beach Pier and goes north for about half a mile up to the San Gabriel River. If you walk through the sand you will see warning signs posted every few yards.

Saturday evening  a lone paddle boarder braved the waters near lifeguard tower 7 at Seal Beach. This same area where a surfer bumped his board with a 5-foot shark Saturday morning.

Several kids were in the water when  lifeguards got on the loud speakers.

Kristalyn and her friends took the warning seriously.

"I panicked. I don't know about them. I was like: 'we got to get out of here.' " The young beachgoer said.

The group of kids came from Long Beach to spend the day here to celebrate their graduation from middle school.

"It kind of spiced up our day," beachgoer Caden Ramos said.

"Lifeguards did an outstanding job. I heard them loud and clear on the speaker." beachgoer Erick Portley said.

This comes after a string of shark sightings in Orange County in recent weeks.

The director of the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach tells us we're seeing more sharks in our waters because the population is growing. The reason: the animals have been protected since 1994.

The beach closure means – if you go in the water – you do so at your own risk.

Lifeguards say they'll decide Sunday morning if they'll reopen the beach after they check the water to make sure it safe.