There have been several recent media reports about an expected influx of great white sharks into Southern California as a result of warm water generated by an intensifying El Niño.

But this week anglers

on Malibu Pier were witness to a different kind of El Niño surprise: a hammerhead shark swimming just beyond the coast alongside the historic pier.

The accompanying footage, via YouTube user Pier Mackerel, shows the hammerhead shark swimming atop the surface as the narrator repeatedly exclaims, "It’s a hammerhead!"

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The description reads, "Absolutely insane! El Niño 2026 is here!"

The footage, posted below, shows a fisherman hooking the large shark as a woman exclaims, "Team Hammerhead!"

Moments later, the shark "spits the bait" and wins its freedom.

Hammerhead shark sightings are rare off Southern California, but can occur during warm-water events.

I asked Chris Lowe, director of the Shark Lab at Cal State University – Long Beach, if the Malibu Pier sighting can be attributed to El Niño.

His response: "I figured the hammerheads would be here soon."