The Town of Hempstead says there were two shark sightings Wednesday, including the latest at Point Lookout. It marks the third straight day with a shark seen off Long Island.
Lifeguard Ethan Grassini says he saw a 6-foot shark about 15 feet offshore around 1 p.m. and ordered everyone at Lido Beach West out of the water.
After the initial shark sighting, Hempstead officials allowed beachgoers back in the water at 2:30pm, but only at knee-deep levels.
But 15 minutes later, a 10-foot shark was spotted off of Point Lookout, the second sighting of the day. All swimmers were ordered out of the water from Lido Beach to Point Lookout for the remainder of the day.
The situation will be reevaluated Thursday morning as to whether swimmers will be allowed back in the water.
There have been no changes at Jones Beach, where swimmers were allowed in the water all day, and there are no plans to limit swimming due to no shark sightings. At Long Beach, swimmers were called out of the water for an hour as a precaution, but they were later allowed back in.
It's been an interesting summer at the beach already.
In addition to wearing masks and social distancing, officials in Nassau County are asking that you be shark aware after multiple sightings at close to half a dozen beaches Monday and Tuesday.
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran explained, "I have to remind everyone that most sharks are not looking for trouble and shark attacks are extremely rare."
Out of caution, the Nassau County Police Department's Marine Unit will be intensifying its patrols along the Nassau County coastline, and extra eyes in the sky will be looking for sharks below near the shore.
"These enhanced patrols will use already active police helicopters assigned on patrol now to also scan the water for movement. We are going to deploy two police choppers that will make multiple passes throughout the day along the entire coastline of our county. If anything is spotted coming too close to shore or displaying erratic/aggressive behavior, our pilots will get that information immediately to all area beaches and lifeguards no matter the jurisdiction," Curran added.
The type of shark or sharks that's causing many to worry about going swimming at the beach is unknown. Expert Paul Sieswerda with Gotham Whale said it could be a bull shark based on what he's heard and seen but noted it would be very rare for Nassau County waters. No matter what type of shark it is, he said it is critical that swimmers remain vigilant.
He shared, "People talk about shark attacks in terms of 'you probably risked more driving here (to the beach) and getting in to a car accident than you did going in to the water.' The chances are that small. Same with lightning. I'd relate it more to the COVID situation we are going through. The risk is quite low but the consequences are very high."
Sieswerda added we are likely seeing an increase in shark activity because the water is warmer and there are more fish around, which sharks like to hunt.
Officials advised anyone planning to go for a swim in the coming days to stay close to shore and not go in past your waistline. Additionally, they asked that swimmers try and stay with their group in the water as that can confuse sharks.
Avoiding swimming when you are bleeding and removing all jewelry beforehand can also make you less susceptible to an encounter with a shark.
