Shark Swims to Shore at Queens, N.Y. Beach

Fox News ^ | 02 Sep 07 | AP

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New York officials are trying to determine if a dead thesher shark discovered on a Queens beach Sunday morning is the same fish that caused a minor panic among swimmers and sunbathers when it swam to shore, MyFoxNY reported.

Swimmers and sunbathers at Rockaway Beach, N.Y., were enjoying a peaceful day of sun and sand Saturday when the tell-tale sign of a dorsal fin slicing through the waves sparked a panic. The fin belonged to a 7-foot thresher shark that was caught in the surf, seemingly determined to swim onto the shore instead of back out to sea.

Fear soon turned to fascination as the thresher got stuck on the sand and had to be helped back to sea by lifeguards and beachgoers, many of whom had never seen a shark before. One beachgoer caught the shark on videotape. Officials confirmed Sunday that a similar shark was found dead on the shore Sunday near the spot where Saturday's shark had swam to shore. They do not know yet if it is the same shark.

While the shark was a scary and shocking sight in Rockaway, threshers are actually common off the Atlantic coast and are known to swim toward shore. They are large sharks that can grow to 18 feet long, and Rockaway's shark was believed to be a baby that got caught in fishing lines and freed itself far from home. Thrashers eat only other fish, and no one was injured during the incident.

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Oooooh a thresher shark, better close down the beaches, we have another Jaws on our hands. Threshers are pelagic sharks and although they will come closer to shore, do so when the food supplies in the open ocean are scarce. As for their danger potential, as sharks go they are some of the least dangerous to man. They are not aggressive sharks by any measure.

They are large sharks that can grow to 18 feet long..." Of course what they fail to mention is that slightly less than half of a thresher's length is heterocercal TAIL. This 7 footer was only about 3.5 feet shark and 3.5 feet tail.

[skinkinthegrass]

This 7 footer was only about 3.5 feet shark and 3.5 feet tail

*clue JAWS' music theme*
LMSM:...."Its, the U.S.S. Indianapolis, All over again!!!!....Swim for your lives

[Alice in Wonderland]

I grew up swimming in the ocean in Rockaway Beach. There were often shark scares but they were no big deal back then. They never make the news. Where else but in Rockaway would the folks return the creature to the water. Gotta love those guys ...

Update:
At 6:00 a.m. this morning a dead thresher shark (five foot in length) washed ashore at Beach 113th Street in Rockaway, Queens. It is presumed that, despite yesterday's rescue efforts, this was the same shark seen yesterday in this location. At that time the Parks Department lifeguards appropriately closed that section of the beach for most of the day, as the shark could be seen swimming just off shore for several hours. All beaches opened today at 10:00 a.m. and will be open until 6:00 p.m. this evening. "It is now safe to go back into the water and we invite beachgoers to enjoy a picture-perfect Labor Day weekend at the Rockaway Beach," said Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "A portion of the beach was closed yesterday for public safety reasons as the citizens, the Urban Park Rangers, and the Riverhead Foundation worked to save one of the most respected creatures of the deep. The Parks Department welcomes beachgoers to Rockaway Beach and all of the city beaches and pools for the last two days of the 2007 swimming season."

[JoanVarga]

Thanks for the pic. For a minute I thought it might have been Ted Kennedy. But it's a thresher shark, not a whale shark.

-Joan

[A knight without armor]

“They are large sharks that can grow to 18 feet long...” Of course what they fail to mention is that slightly less than half of a thresher’s length is heterocercal TAIL. This 7 footer was only about 3.5 feet shark and 3.5 feet tail.”

WHO CARES! That’s like saying oh, that spider is only 9/10 legs. Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!

[A knight without armor]

Ok, that fraction did not come out right but still.......Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

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A 7 foot (of which 3.5 feet of it is really “shark”, the other half of it is tail) thesher is a rather small fish with a small mouth. Compare that to a 14 footer, of which now 7 foot WOULD be “shark” and it would have a considerably bigger mouth. Regardless, thresher sharks are shy and not aggressive, unless you are a smelt or herring. I don’t believe there have been more than one or two thresher shark attacks on man in the last 20 or more years.

[ironmaidenPR2717]

If he made it to shore, can’t he claim asylum?/s

[skinkinthegrass]

If he made it to shore, can’t he claim asylum?

Why not....everyone else does. :/

[WireAndWood]

I figure he’s just trying to escape the UFO in the water in Jersey.

[PinkDolphin]

lifeguards appropriately closed that section of the beach for most of the day,

Just wondering—no one knew there were sharks in the ocean before then??

[Alice in Wonderland]

For the life of me, I can’t figure out why this story made the news. But it’s sort of cool, since Rockaway is my home town. Up until this weekend, when fins were spotted, the lifeguard would blow his whistle and everyone would have to come out of the water for a little while. No big deal.

This is the last day lifeguards are on duty until Memorial Day weekend 2008, so folks are on their own now.

Cue theme from Jaws ...

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Shoot, that things a baby. People should be more concerned with jellyfish stings than that one.

[Alice in Wonderland]

LOL, I’ve seen jellyfish bigger than that shark.