N.Y. Beaches Step Up Shark Patrols, Adding Drones, Trackers and Tourniquets

The beach at Point Lookout Beach on Long Island was filled with people playing in the waves and basking in the sun.

A lifeguard on a Jet Ski was circling constantly while Nassau County police officers surveyed the waters by helicopter.

It was an example of the stepped-up shark patrols along the more than 100 miles of Long Island's beaches.

Lifeguards in the Town of Hempstead have begun shark patrols this summer. If there is a report of a shark, we will respond immediately.

Ms. Anderson said that in the past it was very rare for sharks to be seen. Long Island's oceanfront was temporarily closed due to shark feeding on bait fish alarmingly close to swimmers.

Image

A mako shark washed up at Point Lookout over the Memorial Day weekend, prompting more shark headlines. The authorities said a man may have been bitten by a shark while swimming in the ocean.

Lifeguards who work summers on Long Island beaches have traditionally been expected to keep an eye out for the occasional dorsal fin and assess the validity of reports from jittery beach goers who swear they just saw the second coming of "Jaws."

Lifesaving departments on Long Island are facing staffing issues as well as the shark situation and are taking it more seriously.

On Friday, the Nassau County executive, BruceBlakeman, held a news conference at nearby Nickerson Beach to announce that the county police would be increasing patrols this summer, both by boat and by helicopter.

Numerous other departments across Long Island have begun adopting new shark-monitoring strategies and have expanded their lifesavers to include drones, Jet Skis and paddleboards. Police departments are now tasked with shark patrol.

More than 20 lifeguards, park police and other beach staff have recently been trained to operate a fleet of seven drones as part of a new aerial shark-monitoring program.

A veteran guard at Jones Beach said it was like a new world he was living in. We didn't have to do this in my 25 years as a lifeguard.

Image

If a thresher shark comes through and nibbles on your foot, that could be a problem.

A new drone unit at Jones Beach is following in the footsteps of Mr. Epstein, who began using his own personal drones last summer after a fellow guard was injured by a shark. Swimming was stopped because of a shark.

Mr. Epstein said that they were not looking for sharks unnecessarily.

The Town of Hempstead has hired additional lifeguards to watch out for sharks, as well as a shark patrol on Jet Skis. The town's ocean guards are trained to differentiate between sharks that are more dangerous to swimmers and those that are less dangerous.

Lifeguards at Long Beach, which closed swimming areas more than a dozen times last summer because of shark reports, have invested in three Jet Skis to help patrol the ocean.

Lifeguards conduct morning shark patrols on Jet Skis and paddleboards. If there is a shark attack, they have begun stocking tourniquets in their kits.

Lifeguards use an online shark tracker to keep an eye out for Mary Lee, a great white that is tagged with a tracking device.

Marine experts don't like mentioning sharks and summer beaches because they don't think they pose a real risk to swimmers.

shark patrols don't do much but fuel unwarranted fear of sharks.

A field scientist with the New York Aquarium who has spent over a decade studying sharks in New York waters said the latest hype over sharks near the beach was overblown.

There is no evidence that local shark populations have increased in the last few years.

He said the danger to people is infinite.

He said that there have been only a dozen documented shark attacks in New York waters over the centuries, and most of them were probably accidents.

Mr. Walter told swimmers that sharks don't like them.

He said that if anyone had been in the ocean they would have already swam with sharks. "They don't know it."

An increase in monitoring and the sharing of civilian phone and drone pictures on social media are some of the reasons for more drones being seen.

The sharks are not looking for people. There are no sharks in the ocean this year, or last year, or the year before that. We just want to find them more.

Many beach operators are trying to assure beachgoers that they are watching out for them despite heightened concerns from the public.

The town supervisor said that when the mako washed up, residents were concerned. We wanted them to know that our people are taking all the precautions and that everything is being monitored.

There are spinner sharks feeding on bait fish in Long Beach.

He said that they always investigate reports by getting jet skis in the water and looking up and down the shoreline.

John Ryan Jr., the town's lifeguard chief, said that if sharks get close to the shore, swimming is stopped.

He said that they are not looking for people on the shoreline. That is a problem if you don't do anything.

Chris Stefanou, 26, a Long Island fisherman who participates in a federal shark-tagging program, said he had seen more sharks in local waters every year.

Image

According to Mr. Stefanou, there is a growing presence of hammerheads and bull sharks in the area. The man shows off his catches on social media.

He said that there are more and more sharks in the water It is a positive thing because it shows a healthy environment.