Shark sightings off Long Island, Queens beaches force swimmers from the ocean
Shark sightings on Thursday led to the temporary closing of South Shore ocean beaches in Nassau County and the Rockaways on the hottest day of the summer so far.
About 10:15 a.m., lifeguards at Point Lookout spotted what Town of Hempstead officials later described as a 9-foot-long sandbar shark, according to Brian Devine, a town spokesperson. Just before 11 a.m., Lido Beach lifeguards reported seeing a sand shark of the same size. A red-flag ban on swimming at town beaches along the Long Beach barrier island followed.
The website Notify NYC reported that "multiple shark sightings" Thursday morning led to what were expected to be "intermittent beach closures" at Rockaway Beach in Queens.
The sightings — and closures — came amid coastal temperatures that had already hit the low 90s by midmorning. More heat was forecast for Friday, according to the National Weather Service, which issued an extreme heat warning and watch through Saturday. Heat index values could make it feel like it’s 111.
It was not immediately clear what type of shark species was spotted off New York City beaches.
At a noon news conference Thursday, Town of Hempstead Supervisor John Ferretti said lifeguards on shark patrol used drones and a watercraft to search for potential threats.
"Sharks aren't naturally looking to attack humans," Ferretti said. "However, at the same time, we always put safety first. So if sharks are present, we will keep the beaches closed."
The beaches later reopened for swimmers to wade in knee-deep, but Ferretti said the shark — or one like it — was then sighted again at about 12:30 p.m. off Long Beach, forcing lifeguards to repost red flags, banning swimming at the town beaches in the area. The lifeguards resumed search patrols.
About 1:30 p.m., the beaches reopened one more time.
In May, there were reported sightings of a white shark along South Shore beaches, with the shark tracking research and conservation organization OCEARCH reporting a tagged 9-foot-8 white shark in the ocean near Fire Island.
Last week, Long Island state parks officials told Newsday they would be operating 16 additional drones this summer, augmenting a fleet of 30. An additional 20 drone operators would add to a crew of 47, Gov. Kathy Hochul's office announced in May, Newsday previously reported.
Marine experts and local, state and federal officials have said environmental efforts to reduce pollutants in waterways and bay and ocean ecosystems have led to more common sightings of sharks, dolphins and whales in the waters off Long Island in recent years.
"Our waterways are cleaner than they've ever been," Ferretti said. "For that reason, baitfish are swimming closer and closer to shore. That attracts more and more sharks, and so we have to take extra precautions, which we will continue to do every single day that our beaches are open."
At Lido Beach, lifeguard Eamon Flynn, an eight-year lieutenant, said he first spotted the shark about 45 yards offshore at 10:58 a.m. Thursday, two minutes before his shift began — and moments after a beachgoer alerted another lifeguard to its presence.
"We have training here," Flynn said. "We've been trained on the dorsal fins, everything, and like I said to the patron, the second we saw it, it took about five seconds, and all three of us agreed that's a shark, we have to close the water."
Devine, the town spokesperson, said it was believed to be the season's first red-flag closure of the beach due to a shark sighting.
Flynn advised beachgoers to "listen to the lifeguards" and make an effort to enter the water or swim in front of the visible lifeguard chairs — and only when beaches are marked open.
"If it's an unsafe area, the lifeguards will have closed it down," Flynn said. "So as long as you listen to the lifeguards and follow the signs and go in open areas, you'll be alright."
John Valenti, a Newsday reporter since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press, Society of the Silurians and National Headliner Awards for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing. He is the author of “Swee'pea,” about New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. His debut crime novel, “For Nothing Is Hidden,” rooted in 1950s Long Island, was released in October 2025.
Prepping for the Air Show ... Fourth of July weather ... Safety on the water ... Take a lobster roll flight
Prepping for the Air Show ... Fourth of July weather ... Safety on the water ... Take a lobster roll flight
