Unerving moment shark creeps up on surfers off popular SoCal beach

A shark was caught on camera cruising dangerously close to surfers at a popular Los Angeles beach, its fin slicing through the shallow water just feet from shore.The unnerving footage, posted Friday by social media influencer Josh Hublitz, shows the predator swimming through the surf at El Porto Beach in Manhattan Beach.“Surfing with sharks in Los Angeles… I’ve actually never seen a shark in El Porto before.This is the first,” Hublitz said on Instagram.“Ankle deep water.

That is super sketch,” he added.The video shows the shark’s dorsal fin breaking the surface as it glides through the water close to shore.One Instagram user suggested the creature was a harmless “baby thresher,” noting that the species hunts baitfish close to shore.The shark’s species has not been confirmed, however.The encounter comes amid a string of shark sightings along Southern California’s coastline in recent months.On Tuesday, the Huntington Beach Fire Department closed a two-mile stretch of beach after an ”aggressive” 10- to 12-foot great white shark was reported circling near Lifeguard Tower 16 on the beach.In late June, a 9-foot great white was also spotted off La Jolla, prompting officials to post warning signs despite no reports of aggressive behavior.The sightings come as unusually warm ocean temperatures linked to a powerful El Niño pattern have coincided with a wave of unusual marine-life encounters off Southern California.Scientists say warmer waters may be pushing some shark species north from their usual habitats, bringing them closer to popular California beaches.Two endangered olive ridley sea turtles were also discovered nesting on Orange County beaches near Seal Beach and Huntington Beach Pier, marking the first documented nests of the species on the West Coast.Other unusual visitors have included a rare hammerhead shark off Malibu and venomous sea snakes spotted along Southern California’s coastline....