From our friends at the Fire Island National Seashore

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Elizabeth Rogers, elizabeth_rogers@nps.gov

 

Fire Island National Seashore Beaches Reopen After Two Swimmers Report Bite Injuries

 

 

Patchogue, NY – The National Park Service (NPS) announced today that Fire Island National Seashore’s Sailors Haven and Watch Hill beaches are open to swimmers. The two NPS lifeguarded beaches were closed to bathing yesterday after non-life-threatening bite injuries were reported at Sailors Haven and Atlantique, a Town of Islip beach.

 

At 11:15 AM a 12 year-old girl wading near shore at Sailors Haven was bitten. The victim was able to walk to shore with the help of her caregiver and was transported to an area hospital by Suffolk County.

 

A second bite injury was later reported at Atlantique, a Town of Islip beach four miles west of Sailors Haven. A tooth found in the bite wound of the victim at Atlantique was sent to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Marine Bureau for identification.

 

Injuries of this kind are rare on Fire Island, however, visitors should always use caution in and around the water. The following precautions are recommended:

  • Always swim between the flags at lifeguarded beaches
  • Swim close to shore
  • Never swim alone
  • Check in with the lifeguard for the most up-to-date information on swimming conditions

The NPS offers lifeguard services at three ocean beaches within Fire Island National Seashore. Through September 3, 2018, lifeguards are on duty seven days a week at Sailors Haven and Watch Hill; and on weekends at Talisman/Barrett Beach. Please find more information about swimming on Fire Island online.

 

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More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 417 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Visit us at www.nps.gov, on Facebook www.facebook.com/nationalparkservice, Twitter www.twitter.com/natlparkservice, and YouTube www.youtube.com/nationalparkservice.
About Fire Island National Seashore 
About Fire Island National Seashore. Fire Island National Seashore encompasses 26 miles of ocean and bay shoreline, maritime forests, and residential communities. Fire Island’s dynamic coastal landscape is home to a diversity of plants and wildlife and offers a retreat from nearby metropolitan New York. Please visit us online atwww.nps.gov/fiis, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fireislandnps, on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fireislandnps, and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/fireislandnps.