50°
The incident took place at Smith Point County Beach Park in Shirley, around 7:30 a.m., Wednesday, July 13, said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone.
The surfer was taken to Long Island Community Hospital in Patchogue for treatment of injuries, Bellone said.
The third attack comes after a shark bit a Smith Point County Park lifeguard, on Sunday, July 3 and another lifeguard was attacked in the village of Ocean Beach on Thursday, July 7.
"This is the new normal with tiger sharks swimming closer to shore," Bellone said
He added that interactions with sharks may increase.
Before the shark attacks, Smith Point had never been closed since it opened in 1959, the county executive said.
The beach is expected to reopen around 1 p.m. Wednesday if no sharks are sighted by lifeguards.
Lifeguards are using drones, and wave runners and scanning the waters for any sign of sharks before the beach will be reopened, Bellone added.
This is a developing story. Check back to Daily Voice for updates.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Middletown and receive free news updates.
