Swimmers warned after sharks sighted near Long Beach
Beachgoers in Long Beach Thursday leave just before it begins to rain. Credit: Johnny Milano
Lifeguards have limited swimming Thursday at some beaches after two small sharks were spotted off the coast of Long Beach, a city official said.
Long Beach lifeguards spotted two 4-foot sharks in the water, briefly closing swimming off the beach, city spokesman John McNalley said. Lifeguards canvassed the water on Jet Skis and reopened the water about 1 p.m.
Hempstead Town officials and Nassau County’s Nickerson Beach have limited swimming to knee deep after the shark sightings Thursday afternoon.
Town and county officials have spotted at least 18 sharks, including six larger bull sharks off the South Shore in the past two weeks, which have prompted swimming closures. Experts say shark sightings have doubled this year because of the large number of fish and warmer waters off the coast, but that shark attacks in New York are rare.
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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