Super El Niño could spark a surge in SHARK attacks - as great whites venture beyond their natural habitats in search of cooler waters, scientists warn

The Super El Niño could not only wreak havoc on global weather systems – but could also spark a surge in great white shark attacks. That's according to Chris Lowe, a shark expert at California State University, Long Beach, who warns that sharks are being forced to move beyond their natural habitats in search of cooler waters.Normally, great whites congregate off the Pacific coast of Mexico during the summer and autumn months. However, as the Super El Niño causes water temperatures to rise in this area, the sharks are travelling north. According to Professor Lowe, great whites could flood California's coastline – with the invasion expected between July and September. 'We have been monitoring the great white sharks in Southern California since 2009,' Professor Lowe explained to The California Post. 'Since then we have tagged and trapped 350. 'And that's how we know temperature affects their migration.' The Super El Niño could not only wreak havoc on global weather systems – but could also spark a surge in great white shark attacks In 2025, there were 25 confirmed cases in the US, including five in California – one of which was fatal. Pictured: map of confirmed unprovoked shark attacks in California from 1926–todayLast month, scientists confirmed that Super El Niño is 'underway', following satellite observations of sea surface height across the Pacific.Measurements taken by the Sentinel–6 Michael Freilich satellite showed that sea levels across parts of the equatorial Pacific were elevated by the end of June.'When ocean water warms, it expands in volume and causes the sea surface to rise—making the water's height a reliable indicator of ocean temperatures,' NASA explained.'Warmer–than–normal temperatures, hence higher sea surface heights, in parts of the equatorial Pacific Ocean are associated with El Niño.'Professor Lowe's team have been monitoring California's waters, and first started noticing a surge in baby sharks back in February. This is early, according to the experts, who explained that they'd usually expect to see this surge in mid–April. Importantly, young sharks do not like warm waters. This suggests southern California's beaches – where the water is cooler than Mexico – could become a magnet for great whites. How will a Super El Niño impact global temperatures? According to the WMO, we can expect above–normal temperatures in 'nearly all parts of the globe'.The strongest heat signals are forecast across southern and western North America, Central America, the Caribbean, Europe, North Africa, and much of Asia.In the Southern Hemisphere, Northern South America is likely to see the strongest warming, while Southern Africa is forecast to experience widespread above–normal temperatures.In Australia, warmer conditions are mainly expected along the western, southern, and eastern coasts, with no clear trend in the north.Tropical regions are also forecast to be hotter than normal, especially Equatorial Africa and parts of Southeast Asia and the Maritime Continent. Professor Lowe warned: 'Those are the same beaches we use. 'And because this summer is going to be hotter than normal, we expect a larger than normal beach attendance.'We also expect there's going to be more juvenile white sharks than normal along the Southern California coastline up to Monterey.'And it's not just great whites that beachgoers will need to be on the lookout for. Professor Lowe predicts we'll also see an influx of smooth hammerhead sharks. According to the International Shark Attack Files, which records attacks around the world, the US leads the world in the number of unprovoked shark attacks. These are attacks in which a person did not initiate contact with a shark intentionally or unintentionally.In 2025, there were 25 confirmed cases in the US, including five in California – one of which was fatal. If you do have a holiday planned in California this summer, don't panic. Experts stress that the risk of being bitten by a shark remains exceptionally low.While nine people were killed by sharks worldwide last year, lightning strikes are estimated to cause around 24,000 deaths every year and 10 times as many injuries.WHAT IS THE EL NINO PHENOMENON IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN?El Niño and La Niña are the warm and cool phases (respectively) of a recurring climate phenomenon across the tropical Pacific - the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, or 'ENSO' for short.The pattern can shift back and forth irregularly every two to seven years, and each phase triggers predictable disruptions of temperature, winds and precipitation. These changes disrupt air movement and affect global climate. ENSO has three phases it can be: El Niño: A warming of the ocean surface, or above-average sea surface temperatures (SST), in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Over Indonesia, rainfall becomes reduced while rainfall increases over the tropical Pacific Ocean. The low-level surface winds, which normally blow from east to west along the equator, instead weaken or, in some cases, start blowing the other direction from west to east. La Niña: A cooling of the ocean surface, or below-average sea surface temperatures (SST), in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Over Indonesia, rainfall tends to increase while rainfall decreases over the central tropical Pacific Ocean. The normal easterly winds along the equator become even stronger.Neutral: Neither El Niño or La Niña. Often tropical Pacific SSTs are generally close to average.Source: Climate.gov