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Shark Sightings Prompt Closure Of San Clemente Beach

SAN CLEMENTE (CBSLA.com) — Two shark sightings, one reported last night and another Friday morning, have prompted authorities to close the San Clemente Beach until about noon Saturday.

The latest sighting came from a surfer who reported seeing a shark at about 11:30 a.m. Friday morning near Tower 5 at T Street, Marine Safety Officer Ian Burton said.

The first shark sighting was about 7 p.m. Thursday. Burton said that there was hardly anyone in the water at the time, so lifeguards kept an eye out but did not close the beach.

Friday's sighting prompted lifeguards to start closing the one-mile part of the beach under the city's jurisdiction, Burton said.

A supervising lifeguard on a jet ski advised swimmers and surfers to get out of the water, Burton said. When everyone was safely ashore, the lifeguard went looking for the 6- to 7-foot shark, found it and trailed it for about 90 minutes, and lifeguards decided to shut down the whole beach, he said.

The beach is set to reopen about noon Saturday.

(©2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

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