A shark possibly longer than eight feet was spotted off the San Clemente Pier on Monday morning, prompting lifeguards to shut down the ocean water along the city beach.

The closure happened just after 9 a.m. after multiple witnesses reported the shark to lifeguards.

“For us to have a full closure, it would have had to have been at least 8 feet,” said ocean lifeguard supervisor Trevor Milosch.

As of noon, there had been no other sightings, so the closure would only last four hours. The closure was lifted by the afternoon.

The closure spanned from one mile north of the pier and one mile south, from North Beach to Lausens Beach.

The last shark sighting in San Clemente was reported end of January, Milosch said.

Shark season

Sharks have been a regular sight off Southern California waters in recent years as their numbers rebound due to protections put in place decades ago, experts believe.

Last August, a woman filmed a 10-foot great white as it casually cruised next to the San Clemente Pier.

The area north of the pier, at North Beach and Capo Beach in Dana Point, was especially sharky last year as groups of a dozen juveniles hung out close to shore. Experts believe the sharks like to return to “hot spots.”

Many tagged sharks left the area last winter when ocean temperatures dropped. They typically come back to Southern California in spring months, especially young pups that linger close to shore to eat sting rays and other small fish.

A shark has been spotted regularly in recent weeks off Huntington Beach, according to city reports (PDF). Lifeguards have posted advisory signs to warn visitors.