This photo of a “shark warning” sign circulated online Monday was a hoax, said San Clemente State Beach Lifeguard officials.
By Andrea Swayne
The photo of a “shark warning” sign circulating on the Internet Monday is a hoax, said San Clemente State Beach officials.
The sign included a line drawing of a shark, the California State Parks logo and read: “A large shark possibly a great white shark bumped several paddle boarders & surfers off their surfboards near the San Clemente Pier. Unfortunately due to this activity we are forced to close water recreation from San Clemente Pier to Califia Beach. If you choose to enter the water you are doing so at your own risk. (CCR Prohibited Area, CCR Violation of Posted Order)”
Despite the official “look” of the sign, many of those who commented on the online post—noting incorrect grammar and the misspelling of Calafia—suspected local surfers had placed it in an attempt to thin out the crowd in the lineup.
San Clemente State Beach lifeguard Todd Shanklin confirmed that the sign was not posted by state beach officials.
“We did not post the sign nor have we received any reports of sightings or surfers being bumped by sharks,” Shanklin said. “The sign was definitely a hoax. We removed it this morning and made a patrol check to ensure no other signs were posted.”
Mike Brousard, the state beach lifeguard program supervisor, said one of the big tipoffs was the fact that the sign showed up on the city beach, not the state beach.
“We have a similar sign posted at San Onofre about the occasional shark sightings there, complete with the same drawing and State Parks logo, but a different message,” Brousard said. “We surmise that someone might have taken a picture of that sign, Photoshopped it a little and added their own warning to fit their desires. Gotta give ‘em credit for creativity. They even cited sections from the Public Resources Code.”