A major Huntington Beach World Surf League competition was postponed after officials spotted an aggressive 10-foot shark near lifeguard tower No. 3, prompting a 24-hour water closure for safety.

Officials will continue monitoring conditions and provide updates on reopenings as the situation develops, with a tentative restart time of around 7 a.m. on Saturday if the area is cleared.

Organizers say safety is the top priority and the event will resume only after the water safety team and local authorities confirm the area is safe.

The incident aligns with expert predictions of a very sharky summer as warmer waters draw more sharks into the area.

Additional information and updates are available at WorldSurfLeague.com.

In one line: this summer is shaping up to be very sharky for Southern California waters.

The event is a World Surf League Qualifying Series 4,000-level competition spanning five days, with operations paused or resumed based on water safety assessments.

The eight annual event attracts participants and spectators from around the world to a five-day festival, continuing in beachside activations during closures.

The Huntington Beach event features 128 men and 48 women from around the world, while brand activations continue on the sand despite the water closure.

The competition area remains closed, but beach activities and activations persist as officials reassess safety.

The pause and potential resumption were issued via a joint statement from the World Surf League Qualifying Series and Jack's Surfboards.

The shark sighting occurred Thursday afternoon in the competition zone after events ended for the day, with no injuries reported.