“Please don’t take the signs,” Marine Safety Captain with the Encinitas Lifeguard Department, Larry Giles implored at a press conference Sunday morning while giving an update on Saturday’s shark attack at Beacon’s Beach. “You’re stealing public property.”
Giles said the department is ordering $800 worth in new signs warning swimmers to stay out of the water while they investigate for sharks because people have stolen between 20 and 30 of the signs.
Giles said his team has followed up with the San Diego Sherriff’s Department after witnesses reported the license plates of some of the alleged thieves.
A 13-year-old boy sustained ear and shoulder injuries after being bitten by a shark early in the morning Saturday. He is in the hospital in critical condition.
Encinitas Lifeguards placed upwards of 70 warning signs at beaches from Carlsbad to Encinitas Saturday.
While the beaches are open, the water from Ponto Beach to Swami’s is closed until 7 a.m. Monday – or possibly longer if lifeguards deem it unsafe.
The signs cost several dollars each, according to Giles.
“We want to have those signs on hand if we have to re-establish those signs in the future,” he added.
Despite the closure, surfers were seen in the water at Swami’s Beach Sunday morning.
