UPDATE: Southampton Town Using Boats To Investigate Monday's Possible Shark Sighting

UPDATE: Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.

Southampton Town will have boats out in the ocean along the four beaches that closed to swimmers on Monday to confirm if the sighting was definitely a shark, according to Supervisor Jay Schneiderman.

The beaches reopened to swimming on Tuesday; the boats are a precautionary measure, he said.

"They thought there might have been a shark sighting," Mr. Schneiderman said of the park department's decision to close the beaches to swimming. "One of the lifeguards said they may have saw a fin, some people believe it may have been a dolphin, but we're going to try to get more information."

ORIGINAL:

The Southampton Town Parks Department closed four oceanside beaches to swimming on Monday following a shark sighting, according to officials.

Southampton Town Parks Director Kristen Doulos said that unusually large fish were spotted close to the shore, prompting the closing of four beaches: Sagg Main, Mecox, Scott Cameron and Flying Point.

“I cant confirm that they were sharks, but the chief lifeguard [Sean Crowley] felt strongly enough that it was worth taking a precaution over,” Ms. Doulos said. “Potentially large sharks or large fish, 6- to- 7-feet.”

The first sighting was at Sagg Main at about 2:30 p.m. and within the hour the three other beaches were closed due to similar sightings, Ms. Doulos said.

Matt Feldman, a Hampton Bays resident and a lifeguard at Water Mill Beach Club, which is situated on the same strip of beaches, said that he saw several large fish close to shore on Monday, including what appeared to be dolphins, blue fish, bunker, striped bass and what he identified as a possible shortfin mako shark.

“I’ve never seen very large sharks and bait so close to shore like that,” Mr. Feldman said, noting that he is also a fisherman.

Mr. Feldman said there were about five to seven people in the water at the time of the sighting and he quickly helped get everyone out of the water safely.

Swimmers are expected to be allowed back in the water on Tuesday. Lifeguards will “certainly be keeping an extra eye out,” Ms. Doulos said.

Down the beach, Rachel Collins, a Chicago resident who is visiting Southampton, said she heard lifeguards pulling swimmers out of the water and warning of possible sharks on Monday afternoon at Flying Point Beach.

She said that she was both happy to see how quickly the lifeguards responded and to see with her own eyes how well the ecosystem is doing.

“I thought it was cool in the last few days I saw dolphins, whales, tuna jumping,” Ms. Collins said. “It’s nice to see that the wildlife in the ocean is still doing well.”