SWIMMER BEWARE
Monster 7ft shark spotted off popular US beach spot with urgent warning issued to swimmers
A SEVEN-FOOT shark was spotted swimming off of Pismo Beach Pier in Pismo Beach, California, earlier this week.
The sighting comes as Americans head to the beach to enjoy the warmer weather, prompting warnings for swimmers to watch for sharks.
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The Pismo Beach Police Department shared the clip on their , writing "Patrolling land and sea, our Officers located this 7-footer just off the pier this evening."
"A good reminder to swimmers and surfers to be safe and aware out there in the open waters."
The police department is using this opportunity to warn residents about shark dangers, especially because this is not the first shark sighting off of Pismo Beach.
In May of 2018, beachgoers spotted a total of 13 sharks swimming near the pier.
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Some of the sharks were as long as 12 feet, and they were seen swimming less than a quarter-mile from the beach.
While no one has ever been killed by a shark at Pismo Beach, there have been brutal attacks and deaths in the county.
In 2021, a 31-year-old man was killed while bodyboarding in Morro Bay, which neighbors Pismo Beach.
Until that attack, there had not been a deadly attack in the county since 2003.
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However there had been several non-fatal attacks, including an attack on a surfer in 2019.
In 2021, the US recorded the largest number of unprovoked shark bites ever, up 42 percent from 2020.
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Unprovoked shark bites in the US make up 64 percent of unprovoked shark bites worldwide.
While Florida is the US state that sees the most shark attacks every year, California follows in third place.
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