On a hot summer afternoon, the ocean waves are calm and gentle. A refreshing breeze comes by and cools a fisherman. In the distance, he spots something struggling in the shallow water. As he goes to investigate, he falls back in shock. It’s a 10-foot mako shark.
On Memorial Day weekend, a 10-foot mako shark washed onto the shores of Point Lookout Beach on Long Island, New York. This prompted the lifesaving departments on Long Island to start taking the shark situations at the beach much more seriously. At some beaches like Jones Beach and Robert Moses State Park, the lifeguards have trained on operating a new fleet of seven drones to scout for sharks. In addition to drones, some beaches have employed Jet Skis, paddleboards, and online shark tracking. Even local police departments are tasked with patrolling sharks with boats and helicopters.
“It’s like a new world we’re living in,” said Cary Epstein, a veteran guard at Jones Beach. “In my 25 years as a lifeguard, we never had to do this. This isn’t ‘Jaws,’ we’re not talking about a great white, man-eating machine — but if a thresher shark comes through and takes a nibble on your foot, that could be a problem,” Mr. Epstein continued.
Additionally, lifeguards are trained to also differentiate between different species of sharks and identify ones that pose threats to swimmers. They are also monitoring the return of larger sharks like Mary Lee, a great white shark who is 17 feet long and 4000 pounds, through the online tracker.
“When the mako washed ashore, that spurred concerns from residents,” said Town of Hempstead supervisor Don Clavin. “So we wanted them to rest assured our people are out there taking all these precautions, that everything’s being monitored and we’re going above and beyond.”
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/02/nyregion/sharks-ny-lifeguards.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/10-foot-mako-shark-spotted-on-long-island-beach-shore/
On Memorial Day weekend, a 10-foot mako shark washed onto the shores of Point Lookout Beach on Long Island, New York. This prompted the lifesaving departments on Long Island to start taking the shark situations at the beach much more seriously. At some beaches like Jones Beach and Robert Moses State Park, the lifeguards have trained on operating a new fleet of seven drones to scout for sharks. In addition to drones, some beaches have employed Jet Skis, paddleboards, and online shark tracking. Even local police departments are tasked with patrolling sharks with boats and helicopters.
“It’s like a new world we’re living in,” said Cary Epstein, a veteran guard at Jones Beach. “In my 25 years as a lifeguard, we never had to do this. This isn’t ‘Jaws,’ we’re not talking about a great white, man-eating machine — but if a thresher shark comes through and takes a nibble on your foot, that could be a problem,” Mr. Epstein continued.
Additionally, lifeguards are trained to also differentiate between different species of sharks and identify ones that pose threats to swimmers. They are also monitoring the return of larger sharks like Mary Lee, a great white shark who is 17 feet long and 4000 pounds, through the online tracker.
“When the mako washed ashore, that spurred concerns from residents,” said Town of Hempstead supervisor Don Clavin. “So we wanted them to rest assured our people are out there taking all these precautions, that everything’s being monitored and we’re going above and beyond.”
Sources:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/07/02/nyregion/sharks-ny-lifeguards.html
https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/10-foot-mako-shark-spotted-on-long-island-beach-shore/
