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Shark sighting prompts warning along Silver Strand

Posted at 2:43 PM, Apr 17, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-18 17:04:57-04

UPDATE 2 p.m., Apr. 18: Lifeguards removed the shark advisory signs at Silver Strand.

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Lifeguards warned beachgoers in Silver Strand after several agencies spotted a shark they say could be a great white off the coast Wednesday.

According to authorities, the shark was initially spotted by Border Patrol agents in a helicopter above Imperial Beach around 10:30 a.m.

The shark was also spotted by a lifeguard in a boat approximately two miles off the coast of Imperial Beach.

RELATED: New shark detecting technology being tested

The shark is believed to be between seven and eight foot long. Lifeguards in Imperial Beach say they believe the shark could be a great white.

The shark was again seen about half a mile off the coast of Silver Strand, prompting lifeguards to warn beachgoers.

Lifeguards chose not to issue a formal public warning because the shark was of moderate size, wasn't behaving aggressively and was in an area with few people nearby, City News Service reports.

RELATED: Great white shark attacked 13-year-old boy off Beacon's Beach in Encinitas

The sighting comes less than a year after a 13-year-old boy was attacked by a shark while lobster diving off the coast of Encinitas in September of 2018.

Researchers later confirmed that the shark that attacked Keane Hayes was a great white.