Shark Sighting Puts Water Off Limits

A new shark sighting has prompted lifeguards to close the waters off Stinson Beach, about 20 miles northwest of San Francisco, rather than allow swimmers and surfers back into the waves as planned after a recent shark attack, officials said Wednesday.

A diver saw a shark about 100 yards offshore about 7 p.m. Tuesday, said Xavier Agnew, a lifeguard with the National Park Service. Though the beach and park remain open, swimming and surfing remain off-limits until Sunday.

Last week’s attack was the second at Stinson in the past four years. A surfer was bitten and injured Friday at the mouth of the Bolinas Channel, about 300 feet from Stinson Beach. He was pulled from his surfboard by a shark about 15 feet long, witnesses said.