jones beach

Last summer, for about a three week period on New York's south shore beaches, ocean swimmers were on shark alert. Six victims were bitten during that time period in rather shallow water, on the white sands of Long Island. This year, New York's Governor Kathy Hochul says that the state parks are ready to take on the monsters of the deep.

It has not been an easy summer swimming on the white sandy beaches of Long Island this year. Six people were bitten by sharks in a little more than a two-week span. The painful swimming experience continued on Sunday at Jones Beach State Park and Robert Moses State Park, thanks to a marine organism called a Pelagia Noctiluca.

With 3 shark attacks in a little more than a week off New York beaches has local officials, marine biologists and scientists looking for answers. According to the The Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File says there have been 10 unprovoked incidents of human-shark interactions in New York over the past 100 years, including the 3 from last week! That is one every ten yeas and now there have been 3 in a week? Something is different and according to local researchers, it could be a good thing.

If you're looking to experience some holiday cheer, New York State Parks are the place to be this holiday season.