East Coast beaches have experienced a notable increase in shark sightings and activity this summer, leading to beach closures and one reported swimmer injury. Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York City's largest beach, has recorded 23 shark sightings since May, resulting in 23 temporary closures, according to NYC Parks.
Sixteen of these sightings occurred in the first five days of July alone, prompting the city's emergency management agency to alert beachgoers and advise them to follow lifeguard guidance. Over the Fourth of July weekend, a swimmer at Jones Beach State Park Field 6 on Long Island suffered non-life-threatening lacerations to his foot, determined to be from a small sand tiger shark. The beach was temporarily closed for an hour before reopening with restricted swimming.
Elsewhere, a 5½-foot sandbar shark was hooked and released by a fisherman off East Haven Town Beach in Connecticut in late June, with no injuries reported. Long Island lifeguards also spotted a shark off Point Lookout on July 2, leading to the temporary closure of that beach and neighboring Hempstead beaches.
In response to increased activity, New York enhanced its surveillance capabilities this summer. Governor Kathy Hochul announced in May that the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, in collaboration with the Department of Environmental Conservation, would deploy new drones and operators to patrol Long Island State Park beaches for sharks and other marine life.
Experts note that shark bites are rare, particularly when alert systems are in place. Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s shark research program, told the Associated Press that if an alert is issued after a bite occurs, the probability of another bite in the immediate hours following is significantly reduced. He advised beachgoers to avoid swimming when bait fish are active, a common indicator of shark presence.