More lifeguards on duty in wake of shark encounters

<p>More lifeguards were on duty at Jones Beach and Robert Moses state parks Friday following two shark attacks and a wave of sightings along the South Shore this week.</p>

News 12 Staff

Jul 20, 2018, 6:56 PM

Updated 2,351 days ago

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More lifeguards were on duty at Jones Beach and Robert Moses state parks Friday following two shark attacks and a wave of sightings along the South Shore this week.
As News 12 has reported, a 13-year-old boy and a 12-year-old girl were bitten while in the ocean Wednesday at separate beaches on Fire Island. Both are expected to be OK.
State park police launched a drone at Jones Beach Friday to hover over the shoreline. The highly specialized drone lets officials look down into the water, but they didn't spot anything unusual on Friday.
However, a fisherman caught a sand shark at Robert Moses State Park Friday, and the beaches at Fields 2 and 3 were closed to swimming for a few hours. And a shark was spotted off the main stretch of beach at Jones Beach on Thursday.
Nassau and Suffolk police were also patrolling the beaches with helicopters, and extra lifeguards and patrols were also keeping an eye on the water from the sand.
The sharks didn't stop crowds of people from flocking to Jones Beach Friday, although some people were uneasy about going into the water.
State park police say the weekend weather may keep big crowds away with showers and storms due to hit Saturday night into Sunday. But extra patrols are in place anyway.