The biggest stage in surfing is coming to California.
But the sharks have already arrived.
With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics set to feature surfing at the famed cobblestoned A-frame of Lower Trestles and open-water swimming off Long Beach, scientists at California State University, Long Beach’s Shark Lab have unveiled a new high-tech tool designed to keep tabs on great white sharks before athletes enter the water.
Dubbed the Shark Surveillance Bot (SSB), the semi-autonomous underwater robot is built to patrol nearshore waters, detect tagged sharks, collect environmental DNA (eDNA), and relay information to researchers and lifeguards in real time. The long-term goal is simple: improve beach safety without disturbing the sharks themselves.
“Our data suggests that there are sharks around our beaches all the time without incident, but knowing what sharks, and how many are out there helps lifeguards make better decisions in beach safety operations and in advising the public,” Shark Lab director Dr. Chris Lowe told NBC4 Los Angeles.
Check out the SSB in action here.
The prototype will eventually be capable of patrolling beaches for up to a week at a time while transmitting live information back to researchers. An aerial drone carried aboard the robot will add another layer of surveillance from above.
Related: 8-Foot Shark Manhandled in Los Angeles, Fisherman Drags It Back into Ocean (Video)
And the timing is perfect.
According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2025 recorded the highest total number of shark incidents in a single year in the state. Meanwhile, 2026 has brought another exceptionally active season as warm Super El Niño waters have drawn unusually large numbers of juvenile great white sharks into Southern California’s shallow-water nursery habitats. Dr. Lowe has said those juvenile populations could even double during El Niño conditions, though he continues to emphasize that bites remain exceedingly rare.
For Olympic organizers, that distinction matters.
The robot isn’t intended to clear beaches every time a shark swims by. Instead, it provides another layer of situational awareness, allowing officials to understand which sharks are present and whether conditions warrant a closer look before competition begins.
By the time the world’s best surfers paddle out at Lower Trestles in 2028, California’s newest beach patrol member may not be wearing a lifeguard uniform at all.
It might just be a robot cruising quietly outside the lineup.
Related: Juvenile Great White Shark Launches Behind Bodyboarder in Newport Beach (Video)
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