A number of shark attacks reported around Long Island, New York, have led officials to urge swimmers to remain cautious.
The victim of the latest reported shark attack, the fifth in two weeks, was a 49-year-old man from Arizona, who was bitten on his “left wrist and his buttocks” in waist-deep water in Fire Island around 6 p.m., according to Suffolk County Police. He was able to walk out of the water and was flown to Stony Brook University Hospital with no life-threatening injuries.
“He stated that he felt on his side a large animal rubbing against him. He went to move it away and that’s when his hand got bit,” Ocean Beach Fire Department chief Ian Levine told CNN.
“We are telling people that if they are swimming, they need to swim in lifeguard areas,” Levine added. “They should only go waist deep and that they should be aware of surroundings.”
Earlier that same day at around 7:30 a.m., a man was reportedly knocked off his paddleboard by a shark at Smith Point County Park beach, said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. The man, 41, had a 4-inch gash on his leg from the shark bite.
He told officials he thought he was attacked by a sand tiger shark around four feet long. Officials say that the surfer “took a punch at the shark” and luckily, a wave carried him to shore.
The increasing shark attacks are highly unusual. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File, there were only 47 confirmed unprovoked attacks nationwide in 2021.
The Wednesday shark attack is “an indication that what we are looking at is something of a new normal,” Bellone said, adding that he expects more frequent interactions between humans and sharks close to the shore.
“Fortunately, we haven’t seen significant injuries, nor do we expect to, but it is something to be aware and conscious of,” he said.
The recent shark attacks began on June 30, when a swimmer got a “possible shark bite” on his right foot at Jones Beach.
Three days later, lifeguard Zachari Gallo was bitten in the chest and hand by a five-foot shark during a victim role-playing training exercise. Long Island beach was temporarily closed by Suffolk County officials.
Gallo said he knew it was a shark once he felt its texture, “I felt the sharp, sharp pain and once I felt the rubbery texture, I knew it was some kind of shark.”
“I hit the shark three times. I went boom, boom, boom. I guess in the third one it spun back and its tail hit me in the chest,” he added.
“If you’re going to go in the ocean, it’s good to go with a partner. Always go on a protected beach where there are lifeguards, always stay together and be conscious of your surroundings,” said Blakeman. “If you do those things, you will be safe.”
