Officials described the beast as of “significant size” before closing down the Hempstead beach. Town officials alerted residents to the shark on Twitter.
The town officials said: “A significant size shark was spotted offshore of Lido West Beach.
“The shark was spotted by a Town of Hempstead lifeguard on a surfboard.
“Due to the shark sighting, the lifeguards have red-flagged the strip of water as per the NYS shark protocols.
“Town of Hempstead Bay Constables have been dispatched to assist with the search.”
Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin added: “The lifeguards and crew who have been here for 20-plus years said this is one of the most sizeable sightings they’ve seen.”
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The Shark Spotting Alert also warned that Civic, Lido and Lido West beaches would be shut down as a precaution, as well Town Park Point Lookout and Town Park at Sands.
The famous Long Beach is also close to swimmer due to the shark sighting.
The City of Long Beach tweeted that Hempstead alerted them to the sighting just after 11am.
They added: “As a precaution, all City of Long Beach beaches are closed to swimming until further notice.”
It came the same day that a woman in Maine was killed by a shark.
She was swimming offshore near homes on White Sails Lane when a witness saw her being attacked.
The Maine marine patrol reported the shark attack, and the woman died at the scene.
Two kayakers brought the victim and another woman to shore, where a crew of Harpswell emergency responders met them.
James Sulikowski, former University of New England professor and researcher who conducts shark research in Maine and locations worldwide, said in an interview Monday evening that the attack was the first ever death from a shark in the state.
He added: “Shark interactions with humans are very rare in Maine.
“My guess is that the person was mistaken as a food item.
“In this area of Maine and depending on how close to shore the event occurred, my guess is it was a white shark.”