The city of Ashkelon announced Wednesday afternoon the closure of all its beaches after a shark was sighted in the water by lifeguards.
“Residents and visitors are asked to follow the instructions of lifeguards, leave the water immediately, and stay updated on further announcements,” the municipality said in a statement. Additional updates will be provided as needed.
The alert comes about two weeks after a similar incident in Ashdod, when lifeguards initially spotted what appeared to be a shark near swimmers. That sighting later turned out to be a whale shark—the world’s largest fish and harmless to humans.
At the time, the Ashdod municipality said that lifeguards were acting “in accordance with the city’s shark protocol,” conducting searches to ensure swimmers’ safety. “We ask the public to comply with lifeguard instructions and avoid entering the sea until further notice,” the city added.
The sight of the shark’s dorsal fin breaking the surface caused panic among beachgoers, who were quickly evacuated so rescue teams could scan the area. The city’s Beach Department immediately activated its “shark procedure,” closing the beach and placing warning signs along the shore.
Dr. Aviad Scheinin of the Morris Kahn Marine Research Station at the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, later reviewed footage from the Ashdod incident and confirmed it was indeed a whale shark.
“This was the first documented sighting of a whale shark off Israel’s Mediterranean coast, and only the third recorded across the entire Mediterranean,” Dr. Scheinin explained. “The first confirmed sighting was in Turkey in 2021, and the second in December 2022, when a whale shark was caught in a tuna fishing net near Ceuta, off North Africa.”
Authorities in Ashkelon have not yet confirmed the species seen Wednesday, but patrols are continuing along the coast as a precaution. Beaches will remain closed until officials determine it is safe to return to the water.