EERIE video shows sharks circling just feet off the coast of Long Island as officials stepped up patrols after a series of attacks.
Drone videographer Joanna Steidle, who captured the images of the predators, said she had never seen them this close to the beach.
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“Sharks 80 feet off shore today-Hamptons NY,” Steidle wrote while sharing the video on Twitter.
“In seven years of commercial drone flying in the Hamptons, I’ve never caught sharks this close to shore,” Steidle said.
The alarming images of the sharks in a “feeding frenzy” off Little Plains Beach in Southampton come as Long Island has seen a string of attacks this summer.
At least six shark Attacks have been reported in recent weeks, but none were fatal.
“The terrifying part was the 5 teens adjusting to surf in the parking lot,” Steidle added to the footage.
“I’m there every day and have a good chance every week if I’m lucky,” she wrote.
The City of Southampton acknowledged the increase in sightings in a press release.
“Amid several shark bites last week in western Suffolk County and multiple sightings along the coast, municipalities have stepped up their efforts,” it said.
“We have boats in the water every day and are coordinating with our lifeguards and calling 911, investigating suspected sightings with our boats and drones that we control from our boats, as well as radio cars on land.”
Kristen Doulos, director of Town Parks, said the recent surge in sightings is a result of more people watching for sharks as videos from drones and cellphones quickly spread on social media.
“There has also been an abundance of baitfish in local waters lately,” she said.
“While the chance of a deadly shark attack is about one in 3.7 million, we are still extremely cautious.”
Max Haynes, 16, was one of six victims who have been bitten.
He was surfing on Fire Island when his foot was chewed.
He told The Post: “I felt something on my foot like a bear trap, just grab me from below.
“It went straight for my foot and clamped down. It felt like it broke my foot.”
Shawn Donnelly, 41, was knocked off his surfboard when… attacked a sand tiger shark the coast of Smith Point Beach on July 13.
He was left with a four-inch cut on his leg.
Donnelly revealed that he had beaten the shark to ward off the beast.
He told NBC New York: “It took hold of my left calf and knocked me off my board…when I fell off my board, I saw the fin and its back.”
A 49-year-old tourist from Arizona was attacked by a shark at Seaview Beach on the same day.
According to the New York PostAccording to the police, the “shark came up from behind and bit him in the left wrist and buttocks.”
John Mullins (17), who was enrolled in lifeguard training, was attacked by a shark on July 7.
Lifeguard Zach Gallo, 33, was also bitten while training at Smith Point Beach on July 3.
Last week, a the carcass of a great white shark washed up on a beach in Quogue Village. It was 7 to 8 feet long.
Several beaches on the south coast are closed due to the sightings.
“Climate change certainly plays a role […] especially in the sightings we see this year and last,” said Chris Paparo of the shark research team at the South Fork Natural History Museum.
“As sea temperatures rise due to climate change, many fish populations are shifting northward.”
Many sharks have also been seen in Cape Codat Chatham and Orleans.
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