Long Island Beaches Reopen Following Shark Attack on Sunday

On Monday, Smith Point County Park reopened for the Fourth of July despite a shark attack the previous day. Smith Point lifeguard Zach Gallo, 33, was taking part in an ocean training exercise when he said he felt a sharp pressure in his hand while treading water.

“So I felt a sharp pain—pressure in my hand as I’m treading water and I pull it towards me and I realize something’s kind of attached to it. So I start hammer punching down and I connected with the animal—the shark—three times. And on the third time, the whole shark flipped the other way and swam out to sea,” said Gallo, who has been a lifeguard for 10 years.

Gallo was playing victim in an ocean training exercise when he was attacked by what is thought to be a 4 to 5 foot long shark off Smith Point Beach.

“And it was that moment where I realized that we were dealing with a shark here and I yelled at the other guards that were in the water, you know, ‘Swim to shore, swim to shore,’ and then swam as fast as I could to shore,” recounted Gallo, who was able to walk away from the encounter and sustained only minor injuries on his right hand and the right side of his chest.

Suffolk County Park officials announced that they would be closing Smith Point and Cupsogue beaches following the attack on Sunday, citing “dangerous marine activity” as the cause.

Officials first ramped up patrol of the Atlantic shore using drones, jet skis, boats and helicopters after a fisherman spotted a 10 foot mako shark near Point Lookout—which is located just 54.5 miles from Smith Point—during Memorial Day weekend.

The type of shark that attacked Gallo has not been disclosed but marine biologists believe waters off Long Island could be acting as a nursery for immature (baby) Great White sharks due to an abundance of bait fish in that area. Warmer waters due to climate change are also drawing hammerheads and bull sharks, too.

“I ripped back and just started hammer-punching, and I felt the rubber texture of the head. It felt like the size of a basketball,” said Gallo of the attack.

On Thursday, a 37-year-old was swimming off of Jones Beach when he sustained a “laceration to his right foot,” according to Nassau County Police, which authorities speculate was a possible shark bite.

On Monday, Smith Point and Cupsogue beaches reopened at 10 a.m., just in time for Fourth of July celebrations, with continued monitoring of the shoreline. The attack on Sunday at Smith Point was the first reported incident of its kind since the beach first opened in 1959.

“I’m grateful that it was a minor injury. It could have been a lot worse, and I’m just very grateful that I walked out of the water on my own. I’m grateful that I received EMT services right away. I’m grateful that I work at a beach with the best lifeguards in the world," said Caitlin Murray who is Gallo's wife. She told the New York Post she didn't believe what had happened to her husband, and at first, believed it was a joke.

“I’m just proud he had the strength to tell everyone to get out, too. I’m so glad he walked away with a scratch, but he’s the best guard to pick on because he’s the biggest dude on the beach. I’m very proud," she added.