The City of Santa Barbara has posted warning signs at local beaches and on lifeguard towers after a surfer reported seeing a great white shark off Leadbetter Point on Tuesday.

Waterfront Department facilities manager/acting director Karl Treiberg said that at 5:20 p.m., the surfer spotted a shark 5 feet away whose dorsal fin and tail fin were both out of the water.

He said it’s being treated as a credible sighting of a great white shark because of the reported 6- to 7-foot spread between the shark’s fins, in addition to its reported color and girth.

The city Waterfront and Parks & Recreation departments have put up signs at 14 locations near city beaches, and one on each of five lifeguard towers between Leadbetter Point and East Beach to warn of the sighting.

Treiberg said the signs will be removed after 72 hours if there are no other shark sightings or attacks.

— Noozhawk managing editor Michelle Nelson can be reached at mnelson@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.