SAN DIEGO — Shark sightings are on the rise in San Diego.
On June 22nd, Eric Fuss was fishing with a friend of Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach when they spotted a great white shark.
"It was probably 10 feet away from a surfer right outside the surf break. It was shallow for how big that shark was," said Fuss.
Fuss has seen other sharks in the area, but never a great white.
"In PB, that's pretty rare," said Fuss.
CBS8 reached out to Dr. Chris Lowe, Professor of Marine Biology and Director of the Shark Lab at Cal State Long Beach.
We wanted to know if Fuss’s sighting was unusual, incredibly so close to shore.
The answer is no.
“We are seeing more sharks right now, particularly we're seeing more great whites or white sharks along our coast,” said Dr. Lowe.
Dr. Lowe and his team just released a two-year research study documenting the proximity of juvenile white sharks to ocean users.
His team made 1500 flights using drones over 26 Southern California beaches, including in San Diego.
Videos they captured show sharks near paddleboarders, surfers, and swimmers, just outside the wave break, between 40 and 50 feet from shore.
“So, the main finding was that at aggregation sights, we were seeing sharks and people together every single day. Multiple times a day. And, the interesting thing is from the drones, people didn't know the sharks were there but we could easily see the sharks and their proximity to people,” said Dr. Lowe.
The aggregation sights in San Diego include Del Mar and Torrey Pines, though sharks do tend to drift, like what we saw at Crystal Pier.
As for why they're here and so close, for starters, Dr. Lowe says this is the time of year when species use our coastline as a nursery.
“And there's warm water and there's lots of things for them to eat like stingrays and fish in the bottom, which are their favorite easy-to-capture food,” said Dr. Lowe.
Also, shark populations have recovered from over-fishing thanks to increased protection and better management of fisheries.
Dr. Lowe points out no one was hurt during their study.
The last time a shark attack happened locally was in November of 2022 when a swimmer in Del Mar was bit in the leg.
So, what's Dr. Lowe's advice for anyone who sees a shark?
“What we always do tell people is let the shark know you see it. So, always track the shark, and follow it. If you're on your surfboard and you see a shark, point your board towards the shark and turn it towards the shark as it swims so the shark thinks the front of your board is like the head of an animal and it knows it's being watched. In most cases, if you see a shark in the water, it's a cool thing. It's a sign that our ocean is getting healthier and there's no reason to panic,” said Dr. Lowe.
Shark Lab researchers visit San Diego often, where they offer presentations on their work and findings.
For more information, visit their website.
WATCH RELATED: Extremely rare 'megamouth' shark sighting near San Diego