Warmer ocean waters draw more sharks to Southern California
A marine heatwave is helping bring more sharks, including unusual warm-water species, north toward beaches in Southern California.
Species of sharks that don’t normally live in the waters of California have been showing up more and more often.
Warmer ocean waters fueled by the El Niño climate pattern are drawing more sharks to Southern California, including species that typically remain farther south, as a marine heat wave raises water temperatures along the coast.
In Newport Beach, lifeguards have reported increased shark activity during what experts describe as an active season. Researchers say unusually warm water is one factor helping bring more sharks into the region.
“What we've been seeing even since February with this marine heat wave is waters warming and more sharks appearing," said Amanda Ho of the Shark Lab at California State University, Long Beach.
An aerial view of a shark off the coast of Newport Beach, California seen in late July 2026. (Image credit: Kai Beech/AccuWeather)
Marine heat waves are periods of unusually warm ocean temperatures that can affect marine ecosystems and shift where sea life is found. As those warm-water events become more frequent or intense, researchers say Southern California could see species that are normally associated with waters farther south.
“What we saw with the last El Niño were warmer water shark species coming up from Baja,” Ho said. “There were some hammerheads, some tigers and bull sharks, and they even saw a whale shark off Catalina last time. So this time could be very similar. ”
AccuWeather forecasters said the developing El Niño arrived earlier and faster than many typically do, with unusually warm water extending across parts of the Pacific.
AccuWeather experts say the pattern is guaranteed to strengthen into a “super El Niño,” and El Niño conditions are expected to continue into at least the start of 2027.
A map showing sea surface temperature anomalies across the Pacific Ocean. Areas that are yellow, orange and red are regions where waters are much warmer than normal, while green and blue areas are cooler than average. (NASA WorldView)
The changing conditions have prompted Newport Beach lifeguards to work closely with marine biologists to track sharks moving through local waters.
Newport Beach Lifeguard Capt. Clay Rinker said crews use technology capable of detecting sharks that researchers have previously tagged.
“It was put out last year and it basically takes a mark on if we have any sharks in the area. It’ll translate to any mark, any shark that's been tagged," Rinker said.
Newport Beach Lifeguard Capt. Clay Rinker. (Image credit: Kai Beech/AccuWeather)
Data from the detection system is monitored by researchers at the Shark Lab at CSU Long Beach.
“We can see all the different sharks that have been detected by these buoys in the last 3 hours," Ho said.
More detections, however, do not necessarily mean shark attacks are becoming more common. Ho said improvements in monitoring technology, along with more people watching for sharks, can also contribute to an increase in reported sightings.
For Rinker, who has watched the Newport Beach coastline for more than 20 years, the sharks are another example of the marine life that can appear as ocean conditions change.
"It's just another sea creature that's shown up on our shoreline, and it's cool to see. It’s honestly awesome."
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