The sighting of a great white shark at the Santa Barbara Harbor entrance Wednesday evening has prompted city officials to post warning signs at local beaches.
An experienced local surfer observed a 14-foot great white at about 5 p.m. while he was surfing at the sandpit, according to the Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management.
The surfer told authorities the shark “charged” directly in front of him, but not at him, according to a statement from the county agency.
The surfer told authorities he believes the shark was chasing something, and possibly feeding. He estimated the water depth to be 6 feet.
After quickly leaving the water, the surfer watched from shore as the shark surfaced again, making a second “charge” along the surface, the agency said.
Wednesday’s sighting is the latest of several that have been reported along near-shore waters in and around Santa Barbara in recent weeks. No attacks on humans have been reported.
The warning signs will remain in place for 72 hours, assuming there are no more sightings.
Check with with Noozhawk for updates on this story as they become available.
— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
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