Large shark sighted near Balboa Pier Orange...

Large shark sighted near Balboa Pier

Orange County Sheriff Harbor Patrol boats were keeping an eye on

the area near Balboa Pier Saturday after a parasailor reported seeing

a white shark on Friday afternoon.

Michael Perrin, who owns Newport Para-Sail, Inc., said he was in a

boat south of the pier at about 2 p.m. Friday when he saw a white

shark, about 12 feet long. A customer sailing above also reported

seeing the shark, he said.

“It breached right in front of the boat,” Perrin said.

Newport Beach Lifeguard Capt. Eric Bauer said authorities got a

call about the sighting at about 6:45 p.m. and didn’t feel they

needed to close the beach at that point.

“It’s a little unusual,” he said of the sighting.

Harbor Patrol boats and a helicopter scoured the waters for sharks

Saturday morning before an annual swim event from Balboa Pier to

Newport Pier, but no sharks were spotted. The swim took place without

any more sightings.