Beach-goers enjoy the surf at Smith Point County Park, a Long Island beach where a shark bit a lifeguard 10 days earlier, Friday, July 15, 2022, in Shirley, N.Y. Shark sightings were relatively rare in the region until recently. Experts say cleaner oceans, warmer waters and a resurgence of the bunker fish that sharks feed on are among the reasons for the growing shark population. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
A woman says she was able to free herself after being bit by a shark off Fire Island’s coast. The shark bite happened on July 4 in shallow waters and she says she was able to pry the animal’s mouth open with her hands to escape. She was taken to South Shore University Hospital to be treated for wounds.
(AP Photo/John Minchillo)