Shark Sighting Halts Surf Contest, Safety Measures in Place

It's April 24th.

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A 10-foot shark sighting shut down the Van's Jack surfboards pro, surf contest and

Huntington Beach Thursday afternoon, right after the day's heat.

Rapped up.

Officials closed off a mile of water in each direction and suspended the event for 24

hours to keep everyone safe.

This is part of a spike in great white activity along southern California's coast this summer,

as noted by Dr. Chris Lowe from the CSULB Shark Lab.

Just weeks ago, a 7-foot great white got hooked at her most of beach pier and an 8-footer

circled a surfer in Newport Beach.

Event organizers put safety first, letting beach side activities roll on while water

teams monitor the zone around the clock.

No word yet on the shark's species or if it's cleared out, but they're not taking chances

with these pro surfers in the mix.

They're planning a full safety sweep early Saturday morning, and if all looks good,

the competition hits the waves again with the world's top talent.

Shark Lab experts say more sightings mean staying alert, but protocols like these keep

the risks low as summer rolls on.