This week in the US, there has been a noticeable increase in shark encounters. From the East Coast to the Gulf Coast, there have been numerous reports of shark encounters and sightings.

Off the coast of New York, there were five incidents involving sharks or suspected sharks on Monday and Tuesday. The incident did not result in any fatalities.

There have been only 12 reported such attacks in New York state since 1837, according to reports

Submitted by Web Desk

The sixth of July, 2023

Here is a representational picture of a shark underwater. Image courtesy of Unsplash

The number of shark encounters has increased this week in the US. There have been numerous reports of shark encounters and sightings on the East Coast and Gulf Coast.

Off the coast of New York, there were five incidents involving sharks or suspected sharks on Monday and Tuesday. The incident did not result in any fatalities.

Early Monday evening, a 15-year-old boy was attacked by a shark while surfing at Fire Island, New York. The shark bit his heel and his toes, Suffolk County police report.

The police reported that he was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, but his heels and toes were unharmed.

A 15-year-old girl was injured in the water near Robert Moses State Park in Babylon, New York, the state Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation said.

The girl was treated at the scene by paramedics, according to the organization. In response to the incident, authorities used drones to patrol Robert Moses and Jones Beach state parks.

During the early hours of Tuesday, drones captured images of numerous sharks in the water off Long Island, most likely sand tiger sharks, which can reach a length of 10 feet.

According to police, a 47-year-old man was attacked on his right knee and suffered lacerations around 1:50pm on Tuesday while wading in the waters off Quogue, Long Island.

Despite being attacked, the man did not see what was happening. “There was a larger marine animal that bit the victim,” Quogue police said in a statement.

A beachgoer with non-life-threatening injuries was taken to the hospital, the police said. Water should be avoided following the incident, according to authorities.

Following that assault, a man swimming off the Fire Island hamlet of Fire Island Pines was bitten by a shark on his right hand. A 49-year-old man suffered non-life-threatening injuries but was taken to the hospital, police reported.

On Fire Island, a woman in her fifties was bitten by a shark a few hours later at Sailors Haven beach, according to Nick Clemons of the Fire Island National Seashore.

Suffolk County police transported Clemons to a hospital for treatment of a minor wound after responding to the call from lifeguards from the National Park Service.

Shark sightings have also been reported in Florida, according to CBS.

People who waded into shallow, warm waters off Navarre Beach on Monday were scared away by a shark that was spotted in a woman’s video.

In another video, a hammerhead shark glides close to a stand-up paddleboarder off Surfside, a town on the Atlantic coast of South Florida.

To lower your chances of encountering a shark, wear bright clothing or shiny jewelry. Located at the Florida Museum, the International Shark Attack File contains information about shark attacks worldwide. According to the Florida Museum, stay calm if a shark is spotted and maintain your position quietly.

It states that “most sharks are curious and will depart on their own.”

However, experts recommend running away if they approach; if that does not work, engage in combat. Sharks are recommended to be struck on the tip of their noses if necessary, according to the museum.

Earlier this year, the shark attack file revealed that New York had never experienced eight unprovoked attacks in a year before. There have only been 12 such attacks reported in the state since 1837.

There is a claim in the file that young sand tiger sharks flock to Long Island and Fire Island because of the protective bays in those areas. Those sharks may have drew closer to shore in search of bait during last year’s bites on Long Island.

It appears that despite these incidents, in 2022 there were fewer unprovoked attacks than ever before. The number of incidents reported worldwide decreased to its lowest level since 2020.