Several sharks spotted close to Santa Cruz coastline

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (KTVU) - After a weekend sighting where authorities had to warn swimmers, more sharks were spotted Wednesday along the Santa Cruz coastline.

A lifeguard said a great white was seen, so KTVU’s Maureen Naylor went up in Skyfox to get a closer look herself.

“I’ve been flying over the Bay for 30 years-- there's one right there— if you want to see a little bigger one. He's about 6 ft.," said Chris Gularte a pilot at Specialized Helicopters.  It didn’t take long to spot several sharks off the coastline.

We saw some great white’s near Manresa State Beach from above.

At Sea Cliff State Beach, what appeared to be a 10-foot great white could be seen less than 10 feet from a 62-foot tour boat.

"It’s actually good thing speaks to the health of the bay out here,” said David Ebert, director at the Pacific Shark Research Center.  “The ones up here we think [are] probably related to El Niño events [from] the last year or two. Last year was the first year we saw a fair number up this way and we start seeing them again this year.”

Experts say they’re seeing younger sharks in the area, more common in Southern California.

The Santa Cruz Fire Department says one of its lifeguards spotted a great white thrashing its tail and head out of the water around 6:30 on Saturday night about 200 yards off Cowell Beach.

They posted shark warning advisories for 24 hours. 

On Wednesday, hundreds of kids from age 6 to 17, were in the water although instructors were told because of the shark sighting to stay in shallow water.

“Tuesdays they had jet skis and paddle boarders out—I think they had a dedicated spotter from the tower," said Christine Mantua of Santa Cruz. "I feel great--super confident--they're doing a great job with the kids--I’m not worried at all."

A junior lifeguard program is expected to return to normal on Thursday.