Shark sightings off Watsonville area beach

As we head into the weekend, a heads up if you’re planning a trip to the beach: More close encounters with sharks in the Monterey Bay. Sharks were spotted in the waters at Manresa State Beach near Watsonville on Friday.

News Channel 5 obtained aerial video through a partnership with Specialized Helicopters. The video shows a nearby surfer completely oblivious that there’s a shark swimming just feet away from him. The pilot said he saw some 20 great white sharks near the breakers. Many were smaller than ten feet.

Manresa isn’t closed and there aren’t signs posted but lifeguards are on alert, keeping an eye out for sharks. They tell us they haven’t seen anything to warrant a closure. Lifeguards say when a credible witness spots a shark within 100 yards from shore, they’ll post signs letting the public know. Those signs are generally posted for 24 hours. Lifeguards could close a beach if a shark is seen acting aggressively toward people or marine mammals. We aren’t seeing any behavior like that here.