Man Wrestles Shark On New York Beach

It's been an interesting summer on the beaches of New York and sharks have been a big part of that intrigue. From late June to mid- July, six people were attacked by the beasts of the deep on the Empire State's southern shores. However, since that time, no swimmers have been attacked by the razor toothed predators. On Sunday, one beachgoer on Long Island appeared to be turning the tide on one shark.

In an article by Andrew Court of nypost.com, a beachgoer named Emily Murray encountered a man on Smith Point beach on Long Island, battling a shark by hand. Murray told nypost.com that she quickly took out her cellphone and began recording the encounter. Smith Point State Park is the scene of two of this summer's New York shark attacks.

In Murray’s cellphone footage, you can see the shirtless fisherman straddling the shark in the shallow water holding the fish's large tail. The fish appears to be struggling to get away, as the man battles to maintain a grip on the the beast's tail. According to the Post's Andrew Court, though unconfirmed, the fish appeared to be a sand tiger shark, which is a non-aggressive species that only is supposed to attack humans, if provoked. The fisherman appeared to be dragging the shark ashore. Things aren't always as they appear.

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Emily Murray explained the situation to the New York Post. “He had been fishing and caught the shark by accident. He was attempting to unhook it and cut it free.” The fisherman, with help of another on-looker, freed the the shark from the hook and returned it safely to the water. Murray told nypost.com that the beach was not closed to swimmers during or after this encounter. Just a fun day at the beach.