Officials: Shark spotted at Lido Beach and Jones Beach
Officials say the shark seen was roughly 7 feet in size and was spotted swimming 25 feet from shore.
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Town of Hempstead lifeguards spotted a shark off of Lido Beach Monday evening, which suspended swimming for about an hour.
A seven-foot-long shark was spotted about 25 feet off the shore.
A shark was also spotted at Jones Beach by a drone team around 1:45 p.m., according to George Gorman, regional director of Long Island State Parks. Gorman says the shark was spotted at Field 6 and East Ocean Bathhouse. Swimming was suspended there for around an hour.
Nick Viscardi, of East Meadow, was about to go into the water at Lido Beach when the lifeguards started blowing their whistles.
"We were getting ready to go into the water,” he said. "They whistled us out and then they took the green flags down to make sure nobody went in. And then one of the guards, one of the lifeguards, was walking back and forth making sure nobody went in."
Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin says beachgoers can expect to see some safety precautions when they head to the beach Tuesday.
"We'll have the teams using the drones early in the morning going over the entire shoreline,” said Clavin.
He also says some lifeguards are receiving dorsal fin education to better spot sharks.
"It's really education and technology,” he said. “The drone usage, the shark patrol. In fact, this year we also invested in a smaller boat because what we've learned is these sharks come closer to where the swimmers are."
Others on the beach Monday evening said a shark sighting isn’t surprising during the summer.
"There are shark sightings on the eastern seaboard,” said Eric Payson, of Baldwin. “The water is getting warmer. None of it comes as a surprise. I think a lot of us take our chances to be here."
Another important reminder is to not go swimming where lifeguards aren't present and to watch out for rip currents.
Supervisor Clavin says lifeguards made over 250 saves on town beaches this weekend.
