A hammerhead shark was recently observed swimming approximately 100 yards from shore near Surfrider Beach in Malibu, California. The rare sighting, captured on video by a fisherman on the Malibu Pier, is the first of its kind in the area in nearly ten years. Experts attribute the shark's appearance closer to shore to warmer ocean temperatures.
Nate Jaros, vice president of animal care for fish and invertebrates at the Aquarium of the Pacific, told KTLA 5 that hammerhead sharks, like most species, typically inhabit deeper waters in search of prey and do not usually venture so close to the coast. The species observed in Malibu appeared to be a smooth hammerhead, which can grow up to 13 feet long and primarily feeds on fish and squid, according to Oceana.
The warming ocean temperatures along the California coast have been significantly influenced by El Niño. Waters in areas like Santa Monica and Oceanside reached above 75 degrees Fahrenheit in late July. The National Weather Service has indicated that El Niño is strengthening, with a greater than 90% probability of a very strong event occurring during the fall and winter of 2026 to 2027. The sea surface temperature in the eastern equatorial Pacific was also reported to be 2 degrees Celsius warmer than average.
In addition to hammerheads, stingray sightings have also increased, with recorded incidents in Orange County more than doubling this year compared to the previous year. The last documented hammerhead sighting near Southern California beaches occurred in 2015.