Four shark bites reported off NY coast over holiday weekend

Officials are on heightened shark watch after three swimmers and a surfer reported being bitten by the sharp-toothed sea creatures off of Long Island beaches over the long holiday weekend — though none of the injuries were considered life threatening.

On Monday afternoon, a 15-year-old girl at Robert Moses State Park was treated for small puncture wounds on her left leg, according to state parks officials. She was possibly the region’s first shark bite victim, Newsday reported.

Four hours later and 7 miles away, Suffolk County police said that a 15-year-old boy was bitten on his left heel and toes while surfing at Kismet Beach on Fire Island.

He swam to shore and was treated by passersby on the beach until Marine Bureau Officers were able to respond. The teen was transported to Good Samaritan University Hospital and treated for non-life threatening injuries, according to police. His heel and toes were reportedly intact.

Shark bites have been on the rise in New York waters in recent years leading to heightened vigilance by state and local authorities. Last year there were more sharkbites than the previous ten years combined.

“We're cleaning up the water,” Craig O'Connell, with the Montauk-based conservation group O'Seas Conservation Foundation, told Gothamist in May. “When you're protecting prey, you're cleaning up the water, you're protecting the predators, predator populations start to increase. So we might be seeing more sharks along our coastline.”

Two more bites were reported on Tuesday, as Long Island beaches swelled with folks trying to escape the muggy Independence Day heat.

A 49-year-old man was swimming off the Fire Island Pines neighborhood when his hand was bitten by a shark just before 2 p.m. He was transported to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore and treated for a laceration, according to police.

Around 4:25 p.m., a woman was swimming west of Cherry Grove, another neighborhood on Fire Island, when she was bitten on the upper thigh. She was also treated for non-life threatening injuries at South Shore University Hospital.

In May, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced an enhanced shark monitoring program for Long Island State Park beaches, involving the use of drones, boats and helicopters to spot the ferocious fish.

Experts emphasize that shark bites remain very rare. While the risk can’t be totally eliminated, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation recommends that swimmers avoid areas teeming with other shark food — seals, schools of splashing fish, and diving seabirds. They also suggest keeping out of the water at dusk or dawn, staying in groups, and keeping close to shore.

When in doubt, they urge swimmers to listen to the lifeguards and stay vigilant.