Lifeguards on high alert following shark sighting offshore at Lido Beach
This morning, teams from the Town of Hempstead will be using drones to go over the entire shoreline at Lido Beach in case sharks get too close to shore.
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A shark sighting at Lido Beach is not stopping some Long Islanders from hitting the surf Tuesday as temperatures soar. Extra precautions are in place to keep them safe.
Town of Hempstead drones were launched up to monitor the shoreline for any shark activity. Lifeguards patrolled the water's edge and set up on Jet Skis to look for signs of dangerous marine life.
Lifeguard Jackson Castelli had a scary encounter 25 feet from shore yesterday.
"As I was paddling parallel to the beach, I saw a black-tip reef shark,” he said. “I could tell because there was a little black on the dorsal fin. It didn't break the water, but it just swam past me, about six to seven feet. And then I immediately went into the shore because no one wants to be in the water when that's around.”
Beaches were cleared for an hour. Town of Hempstead Supervisor Don Clavin said beachgoers should expect that response if another shark is spotted – though each situation is handled on a case-by-case basis. He also said that there has been an unusual amount of saves so far on the beaches.
“This weekend alone, Saturday and Sunday we had 250 saves on these waters. That is a record for two days,” Clavin explained.
