LIDO BEACH, N.Y. (WCBS 880) — A 6-foot shark was spotted in the waters off Lido Beach Thursday morning, Nassau County officials announced.
"Our dedicated @HempsteadTown lifeguard team is on shark patrol as they spotted a 6-foot shark this morning off Lido West Beach," Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin tweeted. "After initially closing down the waters to swimmers, we are now at "waist deep" at all town beaches as a precaution while we continue to monitor!"
Five lifeguards on Lido Beach West spotted the large shark swimming in the water shortly before 11 a.m., lifeguard Frank Falcone told reporters at a press conference.
"One guard spotted it, came back to shore and then told us," he added. "So that's when I started looking and I then positively identified it myself."
Falcone said he spotted a fin in the water and saw the shark circling in the sandbar, about 25 yards from the shore.
Swimmers were immediately called out of the water and ocean activities were suspended.
Falcone said lifeguards and jet ski patrols have been in the water keeping an eye out for sharks.
"This is really just about safety, we've seen this before last year with the bull sharks, early this year we had the blackfin sharks, you know [these are sizable] sharks in the waters," he said.
Swimmers were eventually allowed back into the waters when officials confirmed there were no more sharks in the area.
The incident marks the latest sighting on Long Island this summer -- it's the 20th sighting, in fact, off Nassau beaches, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said.
"Sink your teeth into this: today's shark sighting off Lido Beach marks the 20th confirmed sighting off Nassau's beaches so far this summer," he said. "That's three more than what Nassau recorded at the same point last last year. That's JAW(s) dropping."
Nassau County Executive Laura Curran previously explained the increase in sharks is due to a number of factors including warmer waters, cleaner ocean and more prey migrating north.
