Warning for beachgoers as sharks spotted ‘closer than ever’ to US coastline with spike in sightings & string of attacks
EERIE video shows sharks circling just yards off the shore of Long Island as officials have ramped up patrols after a series of attacks.
Drone videographer Joanna Steidle, who captured the footage of the predators, said she's never seen them so close to the beach.
“In seven years of flying drones commercially in the Hamptons, I have never captured sharks this close to shore,” Steidle
The alarming footage of the sharks in a "feeding frenzy" off Little Plains Beach in Southampton comes as Long Island has seen a series of attacks this summer.
At least six shark attacks have been reported in the past few weeks, though none of them have been fatal.
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“The frightening part was the 5 teenagers suiting up to surf in the parking lot," Steidle added of the footage.
“I’m down there every day and get one good shot a week if I'm lucky,” she wrote.
The Town of Southampton acknowledged the uptick in sightings in a news release.
"Amidst several shark bites in western Suffolk County last week, and multiple sightings along the shore, municipalities have been stepping up their efforts," it said.
“We have boats in the water every day and coordinate with our lifeguard staff and calls to 911, investigating suspected sightings using our boats and drones that we operate from our boats, as well as radio cars on land."
Town Parks Director Kristen Doulos said the recent uptick in sightings is a result of more people monitoring sharks, as drone and cell phone videos quickly spread on social media.
"There is also an abundance of baitfish in local waters as of late," she said.
"Although the chances of a fatal shark attack are about one in 3.7 million, we are still being extremely cautious."
Max Haynes, 16, was one of the six victims who have been bitten.
He was surfing on Fire Island when his foot was chomped on.
He told The Post: “I felt something on my foot like a bear trap, just get me from below.
“It went straight for my foot and clamped down. It felt like it broke my foot.”
Shawn Donnelly, 41, was knocked off his surfboard when a sand tiger shark attacked off the coast of Smith Point Beach on July 13.
He was left with a four-inch gash wound to the leg.
Donnelly revealed that he punched the shark to fend off the beast.
He told NBC New York: “It got my left calf and knocked me off my board… when I was falling off my board, I saw the fin and its back.”
John Mullins, 17, who was participating in lifeguard training, was attacked by a shark on July 7.
Lifeguard Zach Gallo, 33, was also bitten while he was doing training exercises at Smith Point Beach on July 3.
Last week, a great white shark carcass washed up on a beach in Quogue Village. It was 7 to 8 feet long.
Several south shore beaches have been closed due to the sightings.
“Climate change is definitely playing a role […] especially in the sightings we’re seeing this year and last year,” said Chris Paparo of the South Fork Natural History Museum’s shark research team.
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“As sea temperatures are rising due to climate change, a lot of fish populations are shifting north.”
Lots of sharks have also been seen in Cape Cod, off of Chatham and Orleans.