Advertisement Baby great white shark amazes beachgoers in Monterey Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A small shark caused a stir at three Monterey beaches, while a massive 18-foot great white swam by Marina mostly unnoticed. Early Sunday morning a little shark swam into shallow water while hundreds of athletes were getting ready to play ocean water polo for the Monterey Bay SportsFest at Del Monte Beach."Adults and children were amazed and intrigued after the lifeguards identified it as a harmless salmon shark. There was a giant crowd following it as it was cruising in the shallows for a good 20 minutes," witness Rachael Zalan said.As it turns out, it might not have been a salmon shark.On Monday, diver and Monterey Bay Aquarium employee Patrick Webster saw a similar-sized little shark in Monterey harbor by Fisherman's Wharf and shot GoPro video of it underwater.Sean Van Sommeran of the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation watched the HD GoPro footage and identified it as a baby great white.A great white shark pup has not been seen in the Monterey Bay in recent history, Sommeran said."Most white shark pups are seen down off Southern California and Baja regions, and much earlier in the year, typically," Sommeran said. Unusual ocean animals have appeared this year while the Monterey Bay buoy recorded record-high water temperatures, most notably on July 23 when the ocean was 68 degrees.VIDEO: Baby great white swims in Monterey harborBaby great white in Monterey harborAlso on Sunday, a little shark that was likely the same one at the Monterey Beach Sportsfest caused alarm when it swam close to kids playing at Monterey State Beach.Siobhan Thomas was watching her daughters boogie board when the shark appeared."We were enjoying the beautiful weather today at Monterey State Beach. As we watched our daughters boogie boarding we saw this shark swimming towards my daughter! My husband pulled the shark out of the water by its tail, only to be told that was illegal because it was a baby great white!" Thomas said.The shark was quickly re-released back into the ocean. While the attention of Monterey beachgoers was focused on the baby shark, there was a much bigger, adult great white shark a few beaches north in Marina.Sommeran had an aerial view from a helicopter when he saw the 18-foot great white circling between Marina State Beach and Fort Ord Dunes State Park on Sunday. It was not acting aggressively."No drama," Sommeran said. The great white was "cruising through the luxuriously warm water off of Fort Ord beach and Marina, shadowing a pod of dolphins and orbiting," he said.During a helicopter ride on Monday, the massive great white was seen again hanging out just 200 feet away from shore at Fort Ord Dunes.If you are afraid of great white sharks, there is some good news. Fewer great whites have been seen this fall compared to previous years, Sommeran said.Strange species also showed up at Southern California beaches this week. Several pods of sperm whales were sighted a few miles off Laguna Beach on Monday. More than 50 mothers and juveniles rolled and played with dolphins before heading south past Dana Point. "I've been counting whales and been on the water for 35 years. We've never had a large group like this ever," said Alisa Schulman-Janiger, director of the ACS/LA Gray Whale Census and Behavior Project. Little shark video