People looking to get more than their toes wet in the water at Avila, Olde Port and Fishermen's beaches can once again do so - and just in time for the big Fourth of July holiday.

Closure of the water to human contact at the three popular beaches since last Wednesday evening was lifted at 7 p.m. Monday, according to Port San Luis Harbor District officials.

And reopening the water to human contact couldn't have come sooner for some businesses like Fat Cats restaurant in Port San Luis that rely on tourists to keep the doors open.

“(The water closure) has definitely affected business ... at least that's what the manager says,” said Vanessa Catalan, a server at Fat Cats. “Business has been slow; it just doesn't feel like summer.”

The water was closed to human contact after the Harbor Patrol was alerted to a credible shark sighting in the port's mooring area; by harbor policy, a credible shark sighting triggers a mandatory five-day closure of the waters in San Luis Bay.

A boater spotted a 15-foot great white shark in the port's mooring area between the Harford and Cal Poly piers, triggering the mandatory closure, harbor officials said.

Leonard Cohen, president of the Avila Beach Business Association and owner of Olde Port Inn restaurant at the end of Harford Pier, said the recent closure has hurt business at the port and in Avila.

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“We're in direct competition with Morro Bay and Pismo Beach, where they don't have these closures,” Cohen said. “All of the businesses (out here) have been affected. We're definitely seeing a lack of customers during the day.”

Cohen believes the Harbor District shouldn't close the water after a sighting and simply post advisory signs like what is done in Pismo Beach, where officials have no authority to close the water.

The Harbor District adopted the mandatory water closure policy in August 2003 after a Nipomo woman was fatally attacked by a great white shark while swimming near a group of seals off Avila Pier.

“The five-day water use restriction is meant to be an opportunity to educate the public about specific ocean hazards,” Casey Nielsen, Harbor District operations manager, said about the policy.

While the district's beaches remain open during water closures, signs are posted throughout the port warning the public that a shark has recently been sighted in the bay.

Cohen said it doesn't matter that the beaches remain open during water closures because people still stay away, believing the entire area is off-limits.

“It's that one word - ‘closure.' When people hear that word, they will go somewhere else,” Cohen added. “I drove by Avila this afternoon and there was nothing.”

Advisory signs have also been posted in Pismo Beach since Wednesday's sighting near Avila Beach and will remain up through the Fourth of July holiday, according to officials.

On Saturday, a surfer reported he saw a shark six to eight feet long lunging for a group of pelicans about 150 yards off the end of the Pismo Pier, according to police.

That sighting prompted the advisory signs to remain posted through the end of the week.

Saturday's sighting has also triggered the posting of advisory signs throughout Avila and the port warning people of the recent shark sighting and to enter the water at their own risk.

“We're moving from a closure to an advisory,” Nielsen said following the Pismo sighting.

The last water closure in San Luis Bay was last Labor Day weekend, when the waters were closed for almost two weeks after two shark sightings were reported within days of each other.

Senior staff writer April

Charlton can be reached at

489-4206, Ext. 5016, or acharlton

@santamariatimes.com.

July 3, 2007