Long Island officials discuss shark safety after 5 shark bites

HEMPSTEAD, NY (CBS) — After at least five people were apparently bitten by sharks so far this week, officials on Long Island are taking new steps involving shark safety.

The Town of Hempstead is stepping up their shark patrol. That includes the use of drone, personal watercraft and boats to patrol waters. Lifeguards are also being trained on identifying shark dorsal fins and swimming patterns.

Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin held a news conference Thursday to discuss it. 

Sharks were on the minds of Long Islanders on Wednesday afternoon as word spread of five bite victims off our coast — in Quogue and Robert Moses State Park and on Fire Island — in less than 48 hours.

Two teenagers, two men and a woman are recovering, including 15-year-old Peter Banculli of North Babylon, who was bitten while surfing off Fire Island.

“I was looking to catch a wave on the surfboard and then I feel this very hard tug on my ankle. It felt like a bear trap, almost. And then my first reaction was just to get out of the water as quickly as I can,” Banculli said.

The risk of swimmers being killed by a shark is about 1 in 4 million, and experts say sharks are more interested in fish than people.

“If we were on their menu, we would absolutely not stand a chance,” said Craig O’Connell, executive director of the O’Seas Conservation Foundation.

So why the increase in shark sightings?

“It’s really just there’s more sharks being videoed and put on TV. So, it’s more of a perception than reality,” said Gregg Metzger, of the Shark Research Education Program at the South Fork Nature Center. “The sharks have always been here. The perception that there are more sharks now than there ever has been is because there are way more people looking for them.”

He told us swimmers should proceed with caution, but not live in fear.

“A lot of people would say, what do I do if I see that dorsal fin in the water?” CBS New York’s Dick Brennan asked.

“Yeah, I mean, the best thing that you could do is, as calmly as you can, remove yourself from the water … Animals attack to either protect themselves or to feed. And if these sharks were looking to feed on people, the injury sustained would be much more severe than what they are,” Metzger said.

Metzger says it’s possible that some of the victims were bitten by baby sharks that aren’t quite sure yet what they are chowing down on.

All the victims over the past two days will recover, of course with quite a story to tell.

There were eight attacks in the summer of 2022. This summer already looks busier.

CLICK HERE for a list of beach safety tips from the nonprofit Ocearch.

As though the recent uptick in shark bites isn’t enough, there have also been concerns about rip currents.

The mother of an athletic high schooler who was killed by a rip current in Mexico several years ago spoke at Nickerson Beach on Wednesday. She and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman were out to educate people.

“Your chances of getting bitten by a shark are, you know, one in a million, maybe more, but your chances of getting caught in a rip current are much, much more probable,” Blakeman said.

July has been designated as Rip Current Awareness Month at Nassau County beaches. Data suggests 71 swimmers across the nation will lose their lives this year to rip currents.

Experts say, if you get caught in a rip current, to swim parallel to shore until you are out of its grip. Most importantly, don’t fight it.