A popular Southern California beach was closed on Tuesday afternoon after a great white shark was reportedly spotted "exhibiting aggressive behavior." Because apparently, circling near a lifeguard tower is now considered rude.

The Huntington Beach fire department said there was a "credible report" of a 10-12ft great white shark circling near a lifeguard tower, which is considered aggressive behavior according to the city's marine safety division's "shark response protocols." Yes, they have protocols for this. No, they don't involve politely asking the shark to leave.

Officials closed a two-mile long stretch of beach near the tower between Seapoint and the Huntington Beach pier through Wednesday afternoon, and said workers had posted warning signs and notified visitors. The signs presumably said something like "Shark. Go away." but with more official lettering.

"Please follow all posted signs and instructions from lifeguards. Public safety remains our top priority," the city's fire department said in a statement. A statement that could have been written by any municipality, but this one had the added spice of an actual shark.

The Orange county beach is popular with surfers and swimmers, who are now popular with sharks, apparently.

California saw an unusually high number of great white sharks over the summer as juveniles fled warm waters in Mexico amid El Niño. Experts said humans shouldn't be alarmed. The sharks, presumably, were also not alarmed by humans, just curious.

Shark incidents involving bites are "extremely rare" in California, according to the state's department of fish and wildlife. There have been fewer than 250 shark incidents in the state since 1950, and fewer than 20 were fatal. So, statistically, you're more likely to be struck by lightning while winning the lottery than to be bitten by a shark. But try telling that to the guy who just saw a 12-foot fish with teeth.

Scientists agree that such incidents are generally "exploratory bites" as a result of sharks investigating "unusual objects in their environment, such as kayaks," the fish and wildlife department said. So if you're in a kayak, you're basically a floating chew toy. But don't worry, it's just the shark's way of saying hello. With its teeth.