Face-to-face shark sighting at Coronado beach prompts warning

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Lifeguards say it’s not unusual to see sharks in the water, and while you can’t avoid it they are asking people to be aware of their surroundings.

Sunday morning, lifeguards say a man came face-to-face with a shark that was about 8 feet long while he was swimming a couple of hundred yards north of the main lifeguard tower in Coronado.

Lifeguard Captain Sean Carey said the shark, "circled him a few times and he swam in."

Even though the man made it out of the water safely, the incident has prompted lifeguards to put out signs warning people about the shark sighting.

"Because of the circling behavior that took our response to a level two response which means we’re going to post signs there was a shark sighted," said Carey.

But lifeguards say it’s not unusual to see sharks in our area. Earlier this year there was another sighting also in Coronado, where a shark bit a swimmer’s fin. In that case, he was also able to make it back to shore without any injures.

"Anytime you’re going out in the ocean you’re going into the wilderness. It’s like going for a hike in the mountains so when you go into the ocean you will see all types of marine life that could potentially be a hazard," Carey said.

Lifeguards recommend checking the conditions before heading in and always go in the water with a buddy and swim near lifeguards.