FIRE ISLAND, NEW YORK: The Fourth of July celebrations turned nightmarish for many beachgoers after they suffered harrowing shark attacks in deep ocean waters. Dozens of swimmers were filmed rushing from Navarre Beach in Pensacola after a single fin was seen pacing the shoreline on Monday, July 3. The same day, a 15-year-old boy was barbarically mauled off the coast of New York's Fire Island, and only a day before two more were attacked at the same location.
Fortunately, no one was injured in the Navarre Beach shark encounter. In a new unnerving video, frightened beachgoers could be heard yelling, “Get out of the water,” and, “Good God, people,” as the shark weaved and bobbed through the shallow surf. Many of the swimmers made the proper hasty retreat to land, while some appeared to linger and gaze at the shark. Cristy Cox, who recorded the video, told the Pensacola News Journal that “It all happened so fast!" She added that the incident was alarming even though the shark was merely going about its normal routine. "The shark was just trying to feed as they are expected and just passed by swimmers," she said.
‘We are in their home’
"Everyone was stunned as it moved down the beach chasing the school of fish. We all just have to remember this is natural and we are in their home, so stay alert," Cox continued. The harrowing incident came after a 15-year-old was mauled off the coast of Fire Island and three individuals were bitten on July 4, according to the New York Daily News. A 49-year-old man was bitten on the right hand while paddling off Fire Island Pines and a woman had her thigh bitten while swimming in Cherry Grove. At Quoque Village Beach in Southampton, a 47-year-old man suffered a gash to his right knee after swimming in chest-deep water, according to Daily Mail.
All three victims were rushed to a nearby hospital to receive treatment for their non-life-threatening injuries. It was unclear what species of sharks bit them. However, the same could not be said for a 15-year-old victim, who suffered concerning injuries after being attacked by a shark while surfing off Fire Island. Suffolk County police said the boy was surfing some waves at around 5:20 pm when the shark clawed his left heel and toes. The teenage surfer quickly made his way to shore at Kismet Beach, where a kind samaritan nursed him until county marine bureau officials arrived. The surfer said the shark had lodged its teeth into his left heel and toes, but they still remained intact, miraculously.
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The first attack of Summer 2023
Following that, the 15-year-old was brought to the Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip for medical assistance. Earlier the same day, a 15-year-old girl suffered three minor puncture wounds on her left thigh in a similar shark attack in the Robert Moses State Park area, which borders Kismet Beach to the west. A spokesperson for New York State Parks said emergency medical technicians (EMTs) at Robert Moses treated the teenager and released her to her parents. The unnamed teen is just the latest victim attacked off the coast of the island. The confirmed shark attack off Fire Island was the first of the 2023 summer season on Long Island after there were eight reported attacks last year, according to Newsday.
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