Updated July 14.
Five men are recovering after they were bitten by sharks along the New York coastline.
A paddleboard was enjoying the water July 13, off Smith Point beach. The unidentified man was knocked off the paddle board, punched at the shark and saw the shark coming back. The man caught a wave to shore before the shark came back.
A few hours later a man was seriously injured.
An Arizona man was hit from behind July 13, off Seaview Beach. The unidentified man was standing in waist-deep water around 8:00 p.m. when a shark bit his left wrist and buttocks. The 49-year-old was able to make it back to the beach, but due to the severity of the wounds, was airlifted to a nearby hospital with nonthreatening injuries.
John Mullins, 17, was off Ocean Beach on Fire Island participating in lifeguard training when he was bitten by a shark.
Mullins was tasked as playing a victim during the training and swam out 150 feet from shore. Around 11 a.m., as he was waiting to be rescued by his coworker, a sand tiger shark grabbed his right foot.
He described feeling the shark’s teeth in his foot and then felt scraping as he pulled his foot from its mouth.
Mullins quickly swam to shore and was taken to the hospital where he received five stitches.
The event won’t keep him out of the water, although he knows there will be challenges the next time, he has to swim out so far to play a victim.
Another lifeguard bitten
Zachary Gallo, 33, was also playing a victim when he had a run-in with a shark July 3 off Smith Point Beach.
He was treading water in chin-deep water when he felt a pinch and pressure on his hand. When he pulled his right hand toward him, he felt something attached to it.
That’s when the lifeguard began hammer-punching the shark and on his third thrust, it flipped over and swam away.
He waved a warning to the other guards and headed to shore and the hospital. He received two stitches for a minor wound to the palm and a bandage was placed over a few lacerations on his chest near the armpit.
The shark bite kept him out of the water for 10 days, but he plans to get back in.
He did offer some advice and advised people not to fear the water and to swim where lifeguards are present.
First shark bite of the year
An unidentified man was swimming off Jones Beach State Park June 30 when he was bitten on his foot by a shark.
The 57-year-old was bitten on the right foot around 1 p.m. Medics from the Nassau County Police Department Emergency Ambulance Bureau responded to the scene and provided medical care.
More sharks spotted in Long Island
A resurgence of bunker fish, food source for sharks, cleaner oceans, and warmer water temperatures are factors in the sightings of more sharks in the area.
Not only are more sharks being seen, but also dolphins and whales are making a comeback.
The recovery of marine life is a sign that conservation efforts are working and helping after pollution and overfishing stunted marine life growth in the area.
All locations have been marked on the 2022 Shark Attack Map.
