2 Shark Attacks on Same Day in Long Island

Both victims survived their ordeals
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 14, 2022 2:21 AM CDT
2 Swimmers Attacked by Sharks on Same Day in Long Island
Stock photo   (Getty Images / oatawa)

Two people were attacked by sharks in separate Long Island incidents Wednesday. Both survived. Near Smith Point on Fire Island around 7:30am, a 41-year-old man variously reported as a surfer or paddleboarder was knocked off his board by a 4-foot-long tiger shark, which the man punched. He was then pushed away from the shark and back to shore by a wave, and the shark could not be located by searchers who tried to find it. The victim suffered a 4-inch gash to his leg, the New York Post reports. Then, around 6pm and 20 miles away, in another Fire Island incident, a 49-year-old Arizona man was in waist-deep water when he was bitten on the wrist and buttocks, NBC News reports.

These are the second and third shark attacks in the area in 10 days; a lifeguard taking part in an ocean training exercise at Smith Point was also attacked earlier this month. That was the first shark attack at Smith Point since the beach opened in 1959, NBC New York reports. "To have two of these incidents happen for us, for this facility, for this beach is unprecedented,” a county executive says. “We’ve not seen this before." But, he warns, as tiger sharks are now getting closer to shore, this might become the "new normal." Another possible shark bite was also reported in Long Island recently, bringing the tally to four in four weeks. (More shark attack stories.)

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