NEW YORK – Shark sightings off Rockaway Beach continue to cause concern and caution, calling for a temporary closure of beach access Saturday afternoon, the fifth day of a sweltering heat wave in New York City.
New Yorkers hoping to beat the heat with a dip at New York’s popular beach in the afternoon will have to wait until parks officials deem it safe to re-enter the waters after “shark sightings in the area.”
The boardwalk and concessions remained open while swimming was suspended. There was no time estimate on when the beach would fully reopen.
Sharks are becoming a regular sight for New Yorkers.
There have been at least five people bitten by sharks on Long Island beaches since the start of the summer, but none of the victims were seriously injured.
With more reported sightings and attacks, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has ordered intensified patrols on some of the South Shore’s most popular stretches of sand.
THE SHARKS MOST LIKELY TO BITE HUMANS
Of the 375 shark species that have been identified, only a dozen are considered particularly dangerous, Nat Geo reports.
The three most dangerous sharks (meaning they attack the most humans) are the great white shark, the tiger shark and the bull shark.
Great white sharks live in all of the world’s temperate ocean waters, including the East Coast of the United States.
Additionally, great white sharks have been specifically spotted in waters around New York City, according to marine biologists.
A recent study by Florida Atlantic University’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute confirmed that baby white sharks move in seasonal migrations off the coast of New York. In fact, scientists believe that the New York Bight from Cape May Inlet in New Jersey to Montauk Point on Long Island serves as an important “nursery” for juvenile great white sharks.
HOW MANY SHARK ATTACKS HAVE BEEN RECORDED ON THE BEACHES OF NEW YORK?
Shark attacks on humans are extremely rare in the waters off Fire Island, east of New York City, or anywhere else in New York State. In fact, there are only 10 documented cases of shark bites in humans on New York beaches. The last one occurred in 1948.
In the summer of 2018, two possible shark attacks were reported off the coast of Fire Island, both by tiger sharks.
AND ON THE BEACHES OF NEW JERSEY?
Shark attacks are equally rare there, according to recent statistics, but there was a time when sharks had more frequent encounters with beachgoers. The 1916 Jersey Shore Shark Attacks took place between July 1 and 12, 1916, leaving four dead and one injured. It’s unclear which species of shark was responsible for the chaos, but it’s thought it may have been a great white shark and a bull shark.
The United States has an average of 16 shark attacks each year and less than one shark attack death every two years, according to National Geographic, which notes that lightning kills at least 41 people a year off the country’s coasts.
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