Overview

• Two sharks spotted off Rockaway Beach on July 4 prompted an immediate one-hour closure at Beach 30th Street under the new surveillance protocol.
• The state’s coastal safety framework now combines 28 drones, helicopters, boats and jet-ski patrol teams to detect shark activity along Long Island and New York City beaches.
• A specialized enterprise drone equipped with thermal imaging, laser range finding and infrared cameras enhances night and bad-weather monitoring and can deploy life rafts during emergencies.
• Swimming is suspended for at least one hour after shark sightings, with State Parks staff and the DEC verifying reports through the 200-member Long Island Coastal Awareness Group network.
• Officials report no new shark bites since the non-fatal June 25 incident at Jones Beach and attribute increased sightings to a healthy local marine ecosystem rather than heightened aggression.