Shawn Donnelly, 41, of Mastic Beach — one of five people attacked by sharks on Long Island in the past two weeks — was lying on his surfboard at 7:30 a.m. on Wednesday near Smith Point County Park in Shirley when the man-eater sank its teeth into his left calf, he said. “The shark ambushed me,” Donnelly told The Post. “I’ve never been more scared in my entire life…I screamed and I broke down.” Donnelly said the impact of the bite caused him to sink into the water to a depth of 7 feet, about 40 feet from shore – where he could see the spotted dorsal fin of the possible tiger shark. “It came out of the sand like a torpedo,” he said. “There was no fish jumping out of the water, no water moving, it was just quiet and then ‘bang’. The next thing I knew the shark knocked me off my board.” He slapped the top predator and got back on his 6-foot board, the 5-foot shark hiding in the murky water below. Surfer Shawn Donnelly said he was able to survive the attack at Smith Point County Park by punching the shark and “paddling like hell.” Dennis A. Clark for the NY Post “I was terrified,” he said. “I just slapped the shark once. I hit it, then immediately turned around and paddled for the beach.’ “When I got back on my board he was under me, so close,” he said. He then ran for his life – catching a well-timed wave on the shoreline. Donnelly was bitten on the left calf and submerged in the water about 40 feet from shore. Dennis A. Clark for the NY Post “I rowed like hell. After a few strokes, a wave broke behind me and pushed me to the shore,” he said. “I thought, ‘I can’t believe what just happened.’ Once out of the water, Donnelly saw blood dripping from a 2-inch gash in his leg. “I did a quick check. I thought maybe he didn’t get me. Then I saw blood running down my leg and a clear bite mark,” Donnelly said in the report. He went to a nearby campsite and told a park ranger that he had been bitten by a shark. He was then taken to Long Island Community Hospital in Patchogue, where his injury was treated. “It happened so fast,” he said. “I was scared when it happened, then when I got back to the beach I had so much adrenaline it didn’t even seem real.” Donnelly was one of five victims — including a tourist from Arizona and a local lifeguard — attacked by sharks in Long Island waters in recent days. On Wednesday afternoon, a 49-year-old Arizona man was standing in the water at Fire Island’s Seaview Beach when a shark bit him from behind on the buttocks and left wrist, Suffolk County police said. On July 3, lifeguard Zach Gallo was also bitten in the chest and arm by a shark near Smith Point County Park in Shirley. Four days later, another lifeguard also suffered a shark bite at Ocean Beach on Fire Island, according to ABC News. On June 30, a 37-year-old swimmer was also bitten on his right leg near Jones Beach. Donnelly was able to see what he believes was a tiger shark in the water below him.Edmund J Coppa Donnelly told Newsday he was aware of the recent attacks but assumed he would be fine. “It was a calculated risk that I was wrong,” he said. “This summer, whatever fish the sharks are chasing are a lot closer than normal and we’re hitting the sharks.” John Chisholm, assistant scientist for the New England Aquarium, said sand tiger sharks have been biting people near Long Island as they hunt for pogies, fish that swim close to shore during the summer months. “Sharks don’t hunt people. It’s just the fact that people are close to the bait,” he told The Post. “[Sharks are] in shallower waters because that’s where the food is.” A map of the recent increase in shark attacks on Long Island. “Throughout its length [shore] from New Jersey to New England, there’s a lot of bait in the water,” he said. He said shark encounters are actually a sign that the ocean ecosystem is thriving in the area and that beachgoers should adjust accordingly. “Don’t swim or surf alone. Don’t go swimming or surfing at dawn or dusk when sharks are most likely to hunt. Lifeguard Zach Gallo was also bitten by a shark near Smith Point County Park in Shirley on July 3, 2022. Dennis A. Clark “Be aware of your surroundings and be aware of the other animals that are feeding,” he said.
Taking precautions
Long Island waters are also home to thresher sharks, sandbar sharks and young white sharks, which sometimes swim close to shore in the summer months, he said. “You have to take precautions – and realize that the ocean is not a swimming pool.” Fire Island surfers said Thursday that a terrifying spate of shark attacks had put a damper on their fun in the sun. “We have been here since Monday. I haven’t been swimming at all because of the sharks,” said Joy Idurski, 60, who was visiting from Stanford, Conn. “I’ve been coming here every year for many years, but this year was the first year I didn’t swim. They told me it was a bit of a shark.” Sara Janzen, 41, who was visiting Seaview Beach from the Upper West Side, kept her children out of the water because of recent shark bites. “I’m a little nervous,” she said. “It was really hot today and I’m sure my kids would have loved to go swimming – but I didn’t take them to the beach.”
