Stinson Beach Closed to Swimming After Great White Shark Sighting

What is going on at Stinson Beach?

Last week we reported on salmon sharks that had washed up onshore at the popular Marin recreation area. Then yesterday a 42-foot juvenile fin whale died after it became stranded on the beach.

And now the beach is closed to swimming at least until Saturday after a 10- to 15-foot great white shark was spotted nearby yesterday afternoon. The waters are automatically closed for five days after certain shark species are sighted.

Alexandra Picavet, spokeswoman for Golden Gate National Recreation Area, said the shark was seen by lifeguards, a fishing vessel and people on the beach.

We asked Picavet how unusual it is for Stinson Beach to turn into an aquarium over the course of little over a week.

"The whale is especially unusual," she said. "It's very rare for such a large fin whale to wash up on Stinson Beach, though it's not unheard of. It is not completely uncommon to have great whites in the area. They tend not to come in as close as this one was. We believe it might have been drawn in by the whale being in the area."

Picavet said the whale had suffered multiple gashes from rolling in the surf on rocks, so there might have been blood in the water.

The Marine Mammal Center is performing a necropsy on the whale to determine the cause of death.