Rare Hammerhead Shark Sighting Off The Malibu Pier

MALIBU—On Thursday, August 13, Malibu residents spotted a rare hammerhead shark sighting off the coast of the Malibu Pier. A local fisherman caught footage of the sighting on Thursday afternoon as the shark was swimming with its fin just barely visible above the water near the pier. 

Fisherman Ari Kohanchi initially captured the sight of the hammerhead later posting the video to his Instagram account @PierMackerel depicting the hammerhead shark swimming about a football field away from the shore at Surfrider Beach next to the Malibu Pier.

The Aquarium of the Pacific Vice President of Animal Care for Fish and Invertebrates, Nate Jaros, told KTLA 5 how hammerhead sharks are quite a rare sighting for Southern California residents, and this glimpse of a hammerhead shark is due to warmer ocean temperatures or “El Niño.” 

El Niño temperatures are defined as the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle, which is characterized by sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean that rise 0.5°C (0.9°F) or more above average for at least five consecutive overlapping three-month periods.

“When we get this water that can be 70 degrees-plus at our surface this time of year during an El Niño event, it just sets the stage for them to move with the warm water and continue to hunt their prey,” Jaros said.

It has been predicted that more sea creatures may be visible to Southern California residents as ocean conditions move towards a “super” El Niño such as in 2015. Many of these sightings back in 2015 included green sea turtles, whale sharks and even a venomous yellow-bellied sea snake.

While a rare sighting, Jaros expects stingray sightings will be on the rise in Southern California as ocean temperatures increase. However, the sighting of the hammerhead on Thursday is extremely rare as hammerheads are typically spotted in deeper waters.

“Hammerheads, most species in general, kind of like deeper waters based on prey that they hunt,” Jaros told KTLA5. “They don’t come in so close to shore. Other sightings are usually in the mid-channel between here and the islands. I thought it was a little peculiar to be so close to the pier.”

Although the sightings may gain significant attraction and sightseeing from residents and tourists, the warm El Niño waters usual creature sightings come with a concern for many native species. These species may suffer from algae blooms and other impacts on their food supply due to the changing temperature in the water.