It’s going to be a sharky summer.
Why it matters: Warmer water from El Niño is expected to push sharks north from Mexico, which means San Diego could see the return of great white sharks, plus hammerhead sharks, bull sharks and tiger sharks.
Flashback: There was a pack of young great white sharks mulling around Del Mar Beach and Torrey Pines from 2021 to 2024, but last summer they disappeared, Chris Lowe, head of CSU Long Beach’s Shark Lab, tells Axios.
- Nobody knows why they left, but this summer they’ve been spotted back near our shores.
- They chill right outside the wave break, and there could eventually be up to 50 of them ranging in size from 4 to 9 feet long, Lowe said.
Threat level: Great white sharks aren’t often interested in biting people, Lowe says.
- There were 29 unprovoked great white shark bites in California in the last 10 years, two of which were fatal, according to the International Shark Attack File.
Yes, but: The warmer water is attracting sharks that may be more likely to bite people, especially spear and kayak fishermen, Lowe says…