Sharks spotted in Cocoa Beach, causing beach closures

COCOA BEACH — Sharp-eyed lifeguards spotted large sharks Sunday near the Cocoa Beach Pier and at Alan Shepard Park, triggering temporary beach closures for swimmers and surfers.

About 11 a.m., a lifeguard at the tower just south of the pier noticed a shark "frolicking near the shore," Brevard County Ocean Rescue Chief Eisen Witcher said.

Lifeguards shut down the surrounding beach for about an hour.

Then about noon, a large shark was seen off the 400-yard-long Shepard Park shoreline, Brevard County Ocean Rescue Capt. Matthew Scales said.

"Our northern tower at Shepard Park had a shark sighting in the water, directly in front of the lifeguard tower. It was about a 5-foot shark, either a blacktip or a spinner, just cruising off the shore," Scales said.

"We immediately closed the beach and cleared the water. We do that with a double red flag. We also go around the waterline and pull people out of the water with whistles and inform them of the situation," he said.

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The Shepard Park beach reopened about 12:30 p.m.

"We've been having a (shark) migration pattern coming through. It happens all along the coast this time of year," Witcher said.

Scales said seawater clarity has been excellent the past few days.

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"It's been super clear. So they can see any kind of marine life close to shore with their polarized glasses," Scales said of his fellow lifeguards.

Contact Neale at 321-242-3638, rneale@floridatoday.com or follow @RickNeale1 on Twitter