Water reopens to swimmers at Jones Beach following shark sightings; restrictions remain at Robert Moses

Swimmers at Robert Moses were kept out of the water after park officials say a massive number of bunker fish were spotted earlier in the day from the Fire Island lighthouse.

News 12 Staff

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Aug 4, 2021, 9:37 PM

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Updated 1,208 days ago

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More shark sightings Wednesday closed all fields to swimming at both Robert Moses and Jones Beach.

The water reopened to swimmers at Jones Beach, but there are still restrictions in place at Robert Moses.

Swimmers at Robert Moses were kept out of the water after park officials say a massive number of bunker fish were spotted earlier in the day from the Fire Island lighthouse.

MORE: More shark sightings reported at South Shore beaches

"That attracted sharks, so we did see sharks here," says Chip Gorman, regional director of New York State Parks.

Not long after that, officials say a shark sighting was reported at Jones Beach right at the Central Mall.

"We never really opened up to swimming today because of the fact that we saw sharks in the water," says Gorman.

MORE: Tips on how to avoid confrontation with sharks while swimming in the ocean

Park officials say they are seeing an unusual number of bunker fish so close to shore.

"We're talking a massive amount, thousands and thousands, we saw it a Jones Beach a couple of weeks ago, now seeing it at Robert Moses," says Gorman.

State park officials say the sharks they're spotting are likely sand sharks, sand bar sharks and tiger sand sharks, which they say are not known to attack or bite humans.

Robert Moses won't reopen until officials feel it's safe.

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