A Long Island surfer fought off a shark that bit off his leg by “slapping” him and “paddling like hell” to shore, he said Thursday.
Sean 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. Wednesday near Smith Point County Park in Shirley when the man-eater plunged teeth in his left calf, he said.
“The shark waited for me,” Donnelly told The Post. “I’ve never been more scared in my entire life… I was screaming and waving.”
Donnelly said the impact of the bite caused him to dive into the 7-foot-deep water about 40 feet from shore — where he could see the dorsal fin of the possible sand tiger shark.
“It popped off the sandbar like a torpedo,” he said. “There was no fish jumping out of the water, no movement of the water, just quiet and then a ‘pop’. The next thing I knew, the shark knocked me off the board.”
He hit the apex predator and climbed back onto his 6-foot board, the 5-foot shark lurking in the murky water below him.
Surfer Sean Donnelly said he managed 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 hit the shark once. I punched him, then instantly turned and paddled toward the beach.
“When I got back on my board, she was under me, so close,” he said.
He then ran for his life – catching a timely wave to the shoreline.
Donnelly was bitten in the left calf and dove into the water about 40 feet from shore. Dennis A. Clark for the NY Post
“I…rowed like hell. After a few strokes, a wave crashed behind me and pushed me to the shore,” he said.
“I thought, ‘I can’t believe what just happened.’
After emerging from the water, Donnelly saw blood dripping from a 2-inch gash on his leg.
“I did a quick check. I thought maybe he didn’t understand me. Then I saw blood running down my leg and a clear bite mark,” Donnelly told the publication.
He went to the registration booth at a nearby campsite and told a park ranger that he had been bitten by a shark. He was then taken to Long Island Hospital in Patchogue where his injury was treated.
“It happened so fast,” he said. “I was scared when it happened, and 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 – who were attacked by sharks in Long Island waters in recent days.
On Wednesday evening, a 49-year-old Arizona man was standing in waist-deep water at Seaview Beach on Fire Island 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 Park District in Shirley. Four days later, another lifeguard also suffered a shark bite off Ocean Beach on Fire Island, according to ABC News.
On June 30, a 37-year-old swimmer was also bitten on the right leg near Jones Beach.
Donnelly was able to see what he thought was a sand tiger shark in the water below him. Edmund Jay Coppa
Donnelly told Newsday he was aware of the recent attacks but assumed he would be fine.
“It was a calculated risk to be wrong,” he said. “This summer, whatever fish the sharks are chasing is a lot closer than normal and we’re running into the sharks.”
John Chisholm, assistant scientist at the New England Aquarium, said sand tiger sharks have been biting people near Long Island while searching 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] into shallower waters because that’s where the food is.’
Map of the recent spike in shark attacks on Long Island.
“All the while on [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.
“This is a wild area. You wouldn’t go on a safari in the Amazon without planning before you go. So pay attention.”
“Don’t swim or surf alone. Don’t go swimming or surfing at dawn or dusk, when sharks are more likely to be hunting.
Lifeguard Zach Gallo was also bitten by a shark near Smith Point Park District in Shirley on July 3, 2022. Dennis A. Clark
“Be aware of your surroundings and watch out for feeding other animals,” he said.
Taking precautions
Long Island waters are also home to spinner sharks, sandbar sharks and young white sharks that sometimes swim close to shore during the summer months, he said. “You have to take precautions – and realize that the ocean is not a swimming pool.”
Beachgoers on Fire Island said Thursday that a staggering wave of shark attacks put a damper on their fun in the sun.
“We’ve been here since Monday. I haven’t been swimming at all because of the sharks,” said Joy Indurski, 60, who was visiting from Stanford, Connecticut.
“I’ve been coming here every year for many millions of years, but this year was the first year I didn’t swim. I was told it was a bit sharky.”
Sarah Janzen, 41, who frequented Seaview Beach on 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 super hot today and I’m sure my kids would have wanted to swim, but I didn’t take them to the beach.”
Add Comment