El Ni\u00f1o<\/a> is a natural climate pattern that ushers in warmer-than-average surface water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean<\/a> \u2013 opening the door for different species of sharks to venture closer and further north to the West<\/a> Coast this summer<\/a>.<\/p>\n A juvenile white shark swims in the clear, shallow water of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of La Jolla on November 22, 2023, in San Diego, California. A known rookery of sharks gathered in the area near Torrey Pines State Reserve. (Photo by Kevin Carter\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n (Kevin Carter\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n “I think it’s going to be a sharky summer off California this year,” said Chris Lowe, professor of Marine Biology at Cal State, Long Beach, and Director of the Shark Lab in the Department of Biological Sciences.<\/p>\n With warmer surface waters, sharks that typically reside in the warmer waters of Baja California could venture north to Southern California<\/a> and beyond.<\/p>\n WILDLIFE SERVICE OFFICIALS SEIZE 1,600 POUNDS OF ILLEGAL SHARK FINS IN ALASKA<\/a><\/p>\n Typically, great white, mako, and thresher sharks use the Southern California coast as an important habitat for nursing their youth.\u00a0<\/p>\n A swimmer enjoys the calm waters near Hermosa Beach on a sunny morning on Tuesday, April 28, 2026.<\/p>\n (Myung J. Chun \/ Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)<\/p>\n During strong El Ni\u00f1o events, warmer waters reduce nutrient upwelling<\/a> and overall productivity, prompting these species to shift farther north along the coast, Lowe said.<\/p>\n Similarly, warmer waters open the door to different species that otherwise wouldn’t venture to the California coast, like bull sharks and tiger sharks.\u00a0<\/p>\n “We always tell people when we get these unusual weather events that they really have to keep an eye out for species they don’t normally see along their beaches,” Lowe said.<\/p>\n GREAT WHITE SHARK MARKS MAJOR MILESTONE OFF NEW JERSEY COAST AS FIRST TAGGED SHARK TO MOVE NORTH<\/a><\/p>\n Sharks<\/a> have species-specific thermal ranges that influence where they swim. Great white sharks often move northward or offshore when coastal waters warm.<\/p>\n As ocean temperatures rise, species like bull sharks and tiger sharks could extend their range northward along the California coast.<\/p>\n (Joseph Prezioso\/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)<\/p>\n “So what we expect is places off Baja<\/a> where there are big white shark nurseries, those sharks might get moved into Southern California, and some of those Southern California white sharks might get moved up to Central California if the water gets too warm, which we suspect is going to be a cooker,” Lowe said.<\/p>\n Typically, juvenile white sharks begin appearing in the spring, but this year they were observed as early as February. Lowe said researchers attribute this shift to a record-breaking heat wave<\/a> that brought unusually high ocean temperatures to the West Coast.<\/p>\n WAYWARD SEA LION FINDS ITSELF IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD DURING DOWNPOUR IN WASHINGTON STATE<\/a><\/p>\n While warmer waters invite white sharks to venture farther north, they\u2019re also rolling out the welcome mat for a longer stay.<\/p>\n July and August are typically the peak months for white shark activity in California, Lowe expects that peak to extend into the fall this year.<\/p>\n Surfers ride a wave during a winter heat wave on January 29, 2026 in Malibu, California.\u00a0<\/p>\n (Kevin Carter\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n On the East Coast, Lowe said the El Ni\u00f1o weather pattern could push sharks that reside in Florida<\/a> further north for the same reason.\u00a0<\/p>\n WHAT ACTUALLY IS THE EL NINO CLIMATE PATTERN?<\/a><\/p>\n Don’t flip out though \u2013 just because shark activity might increase, doesn’t mean your beach days are finished.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/gettyimages-2059265284-scaled.jpg\")
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