It’s going to be a “sharky” summer in Southern California.
According to researchers, shark sightings are high right now across SoCal beaches, and that’s not going to change as the weather gets warmer.
NBC Los Angeles visited Pacific Palisades Friday and spoke with beachgoers along a stretch of the beach that’s a hotspot for shark sightings, particularly at sunset.
Shark spotters told NBCLA they’re seeing more sharks than usual in the region right now and most of the time, people in the water never realize how close the marine life can get.
Malibu-based artist Carlos Gauna films drone videos of sharks at local beaches. He told NBCLA that right now, they’re not hard to find.
“This year, there’s been a big uptick in sharks,” he said.
NBCLA watched Gauna use his drone to scour the waters off Pacific Palisades. Within a few minutes, he spotted a shark.
“Look at that,” he told NBCLA. “A white shark, 150 yards offshore.”
Gauna said it’s not rare to spot sharks swimming right behind surfers.
“If you put your foot in the water, you’re likely going to be around a shark here in Southern California,” he said.
Newport Beach Fire Department lifeguards confirmed a sighting of an approximately 8-foot great white shark circling a surfer at the beach off 35th Street on Thursday. This broadcast was aired on NBC4 at 9 p.m. on March 26, 2026.
The shark sightings aren’t just happening in Los Angeles County.
On Thursday, Newport Beach Fire Department lifeguards confirmed a sighting of an 8-foot great white shark circling a surfer in Newport Beach, off 35th Street.
Lifeguards closed off access to the water one mile east and west of the shark’s last known location for at least four hours and posted “shark sighted” signs as a precaution.
Chris Lowe, director of the California State University Long Beach Shark Lab, said there have been more shark sightings in Southern California this year, and we’re only three months in.
“We started seeing baby white sharks about four-and-a-half feet long about a month ago, which is really early,” Lowe told NBCLA.
The warm weather is likely the reason.
“Now the simple explanation for that is the water is really warm right now, unusually warm for this time of year,” he explained.
Researchers say in the next few months, they’re expecting the weather — including a strong El Niño and a marine heat wave stemming from the Pacific Northwest — to push more sharks to the SoCal shorelines.
“So based on that, we predict it’s going to be a very sharky summer,” Lowe added.
Experts say that although being bitten by a shark is possible, the probability is rare.
“We’re not food and we’re not a threat, so we’re just something to ignore,” Lowe explained.
Still, local beachgoers can take steps to protect themselves, including swimming or surfing in groups, avoiding the water at dawn or dusk, and sticking to beaches with lifeguards on duty.