Southern California lifeguards attend shark training in Long Beach

Lifeguards from around Southern California gathered for some shark training on Friday at an annual workshop hosted by the Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab.

Dr. Chris Lowe, with the Shark Lab, said the workshop is an opportunity for lifeguards to learn what white sharks are doing off their beaches to keep beach-goers safe.  

"The goal for them is to get an update on what we're learning about white sharks right now," Lowe said. "So, where they are moving, how are they acting, how they act around people and what does that mean in terms of their ability to manage a beach."

He said shark sightings have been going up over the last 10 years as babies use the beaches as nurseries. 

"A baby is about 4 feet long, and they are still a juvenile at 9 feet long, and they are using these areas as nursery habitat, same areas where people are surfing and swimming."

Lifeguards also learn what to do if an incident occurs. 

"The goal is to make sure they know how to treat somebody if a bite occurs," Lowe said. 

Shark Lab research shows that people are around sharks all the time in the ocean, and despite people not knowing they are there, people aren't being bitten.

Lowe said the average number of shark bites in California is three per year. Juvenile sharks feed mostly at dusk and dawn but most bites have been reported midday, at a time when more people are in the water.

It's recommended for people to buddy up when swimming or surfing, as safety goes up in numbers.

"If the shark actually bites you, you should strike it hard in the nose, in the eyes, stick your hands in its gills, these are all sensitive areas and it will get the shark to release," Lowe said in a Shark Lab safety video.

He explained it isn't known exactly why sharks sometimes bite people, but accidents do occur.