Drones patrol New York beaches after spate of shark bites

The drones are used three times a day to spot sharks. Credit: AP

New York authorities have deployed drones on the beach to spot for sharks after a recent spate of bites and close calls.

Five shark bites have been reported from some of New York's most popular beaches in the past week.

On Tuesday a three-metre shark was spotted off the coast of Robert Moses State Park beach prompting officials to keep people out of the water.

A lifeguard talks about the advantage of using drones when patrolling the coast

The same beach delayed opening on the July 4 holiday after a drone spotted a group of 50 sand sharks off the coast.

George Gorman, the state's park director in Long Island, said they were being "more vigilant than ever."

He said drones were being used to watch the beach.

Shark sightings in the area used to be rare, but in recent years the number of encounters has increased.

Authorities have been on heightened alert after the recent incidents. Credit: AP

Last year, eight people reported being bitten by sharks swimming in the shallows off Long Island's beaches.

"This year, we’ve already had five bites," Mr Gorman said, "and the season has kind of just begun."

Even if the injuries have not been serious, he and others are concerned by the rise in shark sightings and encounters.

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Using the drones gives the lifeguard a better point of view. Credit: AP

Cary Epstein, a lifeguard supervisor who pilots drones at Jones Beach, said the tiny battery-powered aircraft make three sweeps each day: once before opening, then sometime midday and a final round before the end of the day.

"Despite the nervousness over what’s going on right now in New York, people swim in the ocean every day, and they have for centuries," he said. "But we do have to remember that we are cohabitating, and this is their house."

Drones provide an additional vantage point unavailable to lifeguards on the beach, Mr Epstein said.

Sand sharks are the most common type of shark found off New York's coast. Credit: AP

Lifeguard Carl Nowicki said: "If a drone has spotted a shark, we won’t alert the patrons until they’re all out of the water because we don’t want them to freak out.

"We’ll be very transparent once everyone’s on the sand. We don’t want to cause a panic at a beach.

Earlier this year governor Kathy Hochul announced the addition of ten drones to its squadron, bringing the total to 18 that can be used to monitor shark activity along her state's beaches.

"With New Yorkers and visitors alike preparing to enjoy our beautiful Long Island beaches all summer long, their safety is our top priority," Ms Hochul said in May.

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New York lifeguards now have 18 drones to their disposal. Credit: AP

"This year we are taking further action to protect beachgoers by increasing surveillance to monitor for shark activity near beaches off the South Shore."

The first known encounter of the summer happened on July 3 when a 15-year old girl felt a bite on her leg while swimming.

At a different beach soon after, another teen had to paddle back to shore after something began nibbling on his toes.

A day later, on July 4, two men reported bites possibly by sharks in two separate encounters.

About a dozen species of sharks swim off the coast of Long Island, none of them considered particularly ferocious, including the sand sharks that are more common in the area and grow to nearly four and a half metres.

Sand sharks are unlikely to attack humans unless provoked, according to shark biologists. If they do interact with swimmers, it's usually unintentional.