Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol closed a popular beach Sunday after several beachgoers reported seeing a great white shark. [KEYT]
At least seven people told harbor patrol officers that they saw a great white shark swimming close to shore off Leadbetter Beach. Witnesses said the shark was 8 to 10 feet long, and it was chasing a sea lion inside swim buoys.
Officers closed the beach after interviewing a local surfer and a fisherman.
“There are a series of questions we go through and ask,” said Harbor Patrol Officer Ryan Kelly. “One of the things that they described which deemed it as more credible is describing the fin and the pattern in which the shark was swimming. It was a side-to-side motion versus an up and down one, like you’d see in a dolphin.”
Harbor patrol officers placed signs on the beach saying a 24-hour closure was in effect. Nonetheless, some swimmers, paddle boarders and kayakers passed by and entered the water.
No injuries were reported.
