Love the water but worried about sharks? Here are some tips.
Beachgoers at Jones Beach on Friday. Among safety tips: Make sure a lifeguard is present and that no warning flags are flying. Credit: Kendall Rodriguez
Recent shark attacks and sightings in local waters have raised awareness of the predators.
Before jumping into the surf, here are some tips to remain shark-safe.
"If you see ripples in the water, it could be a school of fish. If they are close to shore and you see birds overhead, you don't want to go in that mix," he said.
"If a shark sees a human splashing in the water, it may try to investigate, leading to an accidental attack," according to the administration.
"I wouldn't suggest trying to beat them up," he said. "Get yourself back to shore."
Experts stress that shark attacks are rare.
"I think that, in general, people are pretty safe and should remain calm," Daniel said. "There's bigger danger of drowning due to a riptide. My major concern is getting hit by a Jet Ski or boat."
Long Island shark incidents (some unconfirmed)
In 1950, Newsday reported that a teenage swimmer at Rockaway Beach emerged from the water with a 4-inch "gaping wound" from a "mystery fish," sparking rumors of sharks along Long Island's South Shore beaches. The type of animal in this incident was unconfirmed.
In 2001, a lifeguard at Robert Moses State Park was swimming between Fields 2 and 3 when he felt something bite his right foot, leaving behind bloody puncture wounds. Officials never determined what kind of animal bit him, though they denied that it was a shark and referred to the injury as a "fish bite."
In 2008, a man fishing for sharks 25 nautical miles south of Moriches Inlet was bitten on the arm as he tried to remove a hook from his catch. Officials confirmed it was a shark but did not know what kind.
In July 2018, a 13-year-old boy was bitten in the leg in a confirmed shark bite at an Atlantique beach. A 12-year-old girl is believed to have been bitten by a shark minutes earlier at Sailors Haven. Both suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
Summer 2022: A shark bit a lifeguard on his left foot off Ocean Beach Thursday morning. On July 3, a shark bit a Suffolk lifeguard on the chest and hand as he took part in a training drill off the shore of Smith Point County Park. On June 30, a man swimming off Jones Beach was bitten on the foot, possibly by a shark. None of the injuries were life-threatening.
Craig Schneider is a Long Island native and Stony Brook University alumnus. He joined Newsday as a general assignment reporter in January 2018 after 20 years at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
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