Banning the public from entering ocean waters due to a shark sighting is not an uncommon occurrence to take place two to three times annually. However, a two-mile coastal stretch of sand and water in Mission Beach, CA was closed on Thursday and Friday, August 25th and 26th due to separate shark sightings. A lifeguard caught a glimpse of the first shark on Thursday afternoon while out paddle boarding, while a local surfer spotted the second dorsal fin on Friday morning around 8 A.M. Two different fin sizes were reported, leading authorities to believe there were two different sharks in the area.

One theory as to why two sharks were spotted in the same area in the same time frame deals with gill net fishing. 21 years ago, gill netting was banned along much of California's coast due to the substantial amount of detriment inflicted upon a plethora of different species. The target of gill net fishing was more often than not White Sea bass and halibut, however a residual effect of this style of angling was killing animal populations of sea birds, Southern sea lions and baby great white sharks. Experts say that enough time has passed since the ban for the juvenile shark population to increase in numbers again.

It is common for adult female sharks to migrate away from Southern California in late August while their offspring often stay in the area until the water turns colder, usually in December or January. It is thought by several experts from the Scripps Institute of Oceanography that there are probably more than just the two great white sharks spotted earlier in the week lurking along the coast. The reason for this thinking is that with the juvenile shark numbers being up there is probably a small cluster of these predators following their food. Baby great white sharks are not developed enough to feed on sea lions and seals so they often feed on schools of fish inhabiting kelp beds.