New shark scare shuts OC waters: Recent bloody attack recalled

The ocean water off a one-mile stretch of beach in Huntington Beach remained closed Monday after multiple shark sightings, renewing fears from the Memorial Day holiday bloody shark attack on a woman swimmer.

Sharks at least eight feet in length were spotted in the waters off Sunset Beach around 2 p.m. Sunday, prompting firefighters to prohibit anyone from getting in the ocean, said Lt. Claude Panis with Huntington Beach Fire’s Marine Safety Division.

“Whenever there’s a sighting of an 8-foot long shark, we do our due diligence and close the waters down,” he said.

It didn’t appear, however, that the sharks were aggressive, Panis said.

Sunset Beach is just over a mile long and runs between Anderson and Warner Streets. A lifeguard dispatcher said beach closures following a shark sighting typically last between 12 to 24 hours, meaning the beach likely won’t be reopened until mid-afternoon Monday at the earliest.

Swimming had been prohibited in the waters off Orange County after the attack on a wetsuit-wearing swimmer the day before Memorial Day left the woman with “significant open wounds” that “bled a lot,” according to medical authorities.

While the beaches in Orange County had all been opened to swimmers within a few days, authorities continued to keep watch for any possible reappearance of that shark.

Maria Korcsmaros, 52, who was attacked off the coast of Corona del Mar, had been hospitalized after the attack.

A doctor said the victim was “remarkably calm” through the ordeal, adding her strong physical condition was a major factor in her survival. Korcsmaros is an aerobics and fitness trainer in Corona and a mother of three — aged 16, 22, and 24.

The woman was pulled bleeding from the ocean off Corona del Mar State Beach at 4:15 p.m. that Sunday before Memorial Day when lifeguards on a patrol boat noticed she was in distress, according to officials. Authorities said her wounds appeared to be consistent with a shark bite.

The attack prompted authorities to clear the ocean water of swimmers from the Balboa Pier south to Crystal Cove State Beach.

Dr. Philip Rotter, director of orthopedic surgery at Orange County Global Medical Center, said Korcsmaros suffered what appeared to be one large bite on the right side of her body, stretching from her upper body to her pelvic area.

–Staff and wire reports