San Mateo County Beach Closed After ‘Aggressive Shark’ Incident

A stretch of Bean Hollow State Beach near Pescadero was closed Wednesday morning, after a report of “aggressive shark behavior” that left one kayaker rattled but unharmed.

A Tuesday incident of “aggressive shark behavior” has led officials to close off a portion of a San Mateo County beach near Pescadero, according to the Bay Area News Group. The incident was reported by a kayaker, who was unharmed, but authorities were concerned enough to close the beach.

“Earlier today, we received a report of aggressive shark behavior in the vicinity of Pebble Beach, just south of Pescadero, in state beach jurisdiction,” the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office tweeted late Tuesday afternoon. “A kayaker had a close encounter with a shark, but thankfully emerged unharmed.”

KRON4 reports that as of Wednesday morning, that beach was closed. A sign was posted at the beach’s entry path saying “Shark Incident, Do Not Enter.” There is no further information on the beach’s reopening.

This Pebble Beach is obviously not to be confused with the Monterey County community of Pebble Beach that has the famed golf course. The San Mateo County Pebble Beach is a part of the larger Bean Hollow State Beach, on a coastal area about a half-mile west of Pescadero.

San Mateo County has seen previous shark incidents. Surfers encountered a great white shark in Pacifica in August 2020, and a group of great white sharks was spotted in Half Moon Bay in July 2019.

Related: Humboldt Surfer Attacked By Shark, Survives After Kicking the Fish In the Head [SFist]

Image: David Clode via Unsplash