California beaches reopen after aggressive shark leads to closure

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. >> The waters off two popular Southern California beaches have reopened after a shark aggressively bumped a surfer’s board and led to the closure.

A dispatcher with Newport Beach Fire and Lifeguard Operations says the 6- to- 8-foot shark hit the surfboard and lifted it out of the water around 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Huntington State Beach.

Dispatcher Mark Herman says the behavior is considered aggressive and led to the immediate closure of the water 1 mile in each direction, affecting Newport and Huntington beaches.

Dispatcher Avery Wickham says the beaches reopened around 10:30 a.m. Friday.

Last month, a 2-mile section of Huntington Beach closed after a 5- to 8-foot shark bumped the underside of a surfer’s board.