Shark presence in Lowers halted US national championship

The US National Championships being held at Lower Trestles were halted at midday yesterday due to the presence of a shark in the lineup.

All people in the water were ordered to evacuate (see video) and after the conditions were reviewed by specialists, it was considered that it was a minimum warning level so the president of USA Surfing, Andrew Swayne, spoke with the parents of the competitors who had no problem restarting the tournament, according to the North American website, Surfline.

“The safety of our athletes is our number one priority,” said Andrea Swayne. “We were grateful for the speed with which San Onofre Lifeguard Chief Mark Allen and the announcers acted to ensure that the appropriate precautions were taken. It was a privilege to have so much experience and that the decision to resume the event was made together,” she added.

The event will continue today and over the weekend the champions and the American team that will go to the ISA World Championships will be decided.

 

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Earlier today, a shark sighting at Lowers put the brakes on the Toyota USA Surfing Champs. After consulting with lifeguards and State Park officials, organizers and parents opted to summarize heats. (We'll be broadcasting the final day of the event, June 22nd, live on Surfline.) See above for the cam rewind of the breach. 🎥: #SurflineCamRewind

A publication shared by Surfline (@surfline) the 19 Jun 2019 has 6: 21 PDT