You have seen the cliche in movies; local surfers gang up on non-local who is trying to catch some waves on a beach that the local boys have claimed.

KSBW in California reports that a fake public notice dated 6/6/2013 read "Shark Warning Water Advisory," and said three great white shark attacks happened on Wednesday at three popular surf spots: Capitola Beach, Privates, and Rockview.

"Due to the highly aggressive nature of these encounters, it is strongly advised to stay out of the water for 48 hours or surf Cowells instead," the advisory read.

Cowells is on Santa Cruz's west side, Pleasure Point is on the east side, and the two sides have a longtime rivalry. They share one thing in common: their waves are crowded.



KSBW called state park rangers, as well as police and fire stations in the area, to find out more about the dangerous shark. Everyone who answered the phone was confused, and quickly became suspicious that the shark attacks were entirely made up.

The signs appear official with the California State Parks' bear logo, but state park rangers said they did not make them. The signs were taken down by noon Thursday.

News of the aggressive shark also spread through word-of-mouth.

"I knew someone was just trying to stir stuff up to keep people out of the water during the swell," Kearney said. "It didn't work, it was super crowded!"