A pack of nearly two dozen sharks was reportedly spotted at approximately 2 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 15 at Davis Park, a Fire Island beach off the coast of Long Island, causing concerns for lifeguards in the area.
According to reports, at least 20 sharks were spotted close to the shore following schools of mossbunker and other baitfish that were congregating in the area, attracting the predators and other marine life.
Following the shark sightings, lifeguards closed the beach to swimmers for more than an hour.
The latest shark sighting comes in the wake of multiple incidents across Long Island that has forced beaches to close off the water to swimmers, including 20 sightings in Nassau County, approximately triple the number at the same time last year.
County, state, and local authorities have recently increased patrols by air, sea, and land as sharks appear to be increasingly swimming closer to shore, they said, noting that attacks are uncommon.
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