By: Charlie Wang

Shark sightings are becoming more and more common in N.Y longshore beach. Lifeguards are keeping a close eye on these deadly creatures.

On Memorial Day, a sudden sighting of a 10-foot mako approached Point Lookout. Authorities have reported that a man might have been bitten by a shark at Jones beach. Mrs. Anderson said that in the past few years shark sightings have been extremely rare. But just last year, fish baits have brought humans and sharks too close for comfort.

Lifeguards that work in the summer are trying to occasionally keep a lookout for dorsal fins. Beachgoers have reported to the life guards a second version of “Jaws”.

Other departments have also adapted to use the shark monitoring program. Using jet skis, paddle boards, drones, and online shark tracking to keep the sharks away from shorelines and keep the people safe. Nearby beaches like Jones beach and Robert Moses have gathered 20 lifeguards and police to operate 7 drones. Using drones, they will be able to watch for sharks in the air.

“It’s like a new world we’re living in,” said Cary Epstein, a veteran guard at Jones Beach. In his 25 years of working as a lifeguard he has never seen anything like 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,” said Mr. Epstein.

Swimmers should know that sharks aren’t interested in you and biting into you is basically biting into a packet of mustard. “If anyone’s been in the ocean, they’ve already swum with sharks,” he said. “They just don’t know it.”

Even though more sharks are appearing in the waters and are scaring you, it is helpful to our ecosystem by balancing out the food chain.