The US is in the grip of a shark panic amid a sharp rise in attacks and sightings

A record six attacks, 19 sightings, and terrifying footage of sharks stalking their prey has led to rolling beach shutdowns across the US.

The US is in the jaws of a shark infestation as beaches close across 835km of New York coastline, with frightening images showing the apex predators leaping in the air and washing up on shore.

Beaches across New York’s Atlantic coast are in rolling shutdowns amid the record number of shark attacks and sightings.

The northern hemisphere’s summer has been marked by a sudden swarm of shark activity being blamed on a three-year conservation effort that has massively increased the population of shoreline menhaden, or baitfish.

The favoured food source for the massive sharks has led to their increasing confrontation with humans, with at least six shark attacks on New York’s Long Island beaches since the start of summer.

The New York Police Department this week announced all Rockaway beaches were closed after a video shared by the Rockaway Times showed a purported great white leaping through the air a few meters from shore.

Sharks in Rockaway? How about some proof? Tricia Gahn caught this guy spinning out of the water yesterday on Beach 121st Street while her husband was teaching their son, Timmy, how to surf. Look close. That’s no dolphin. Let’s just say Timmy’s lesson was cut short. pic.twitter.com/H4KPu9Rvl7

— Rockaway Times (@Rockawaytimes) July 20, 2022

A day later, a 2.5-metre great white shark washed up on Ocean Beaches in the Village of Quogue, near The Hamptons, to the east of Manhattan.

“The shark was subsequently washed back out to sea before the Police could secure it,” they said in a statement.

“Ware cautioning swimmers and boaters in the area to be aware of this ongoing situation, and to keep distance to allow the Law Enforcement to monitor this event.”

A shark, said to be a great white, lunges through the air off the coast of New York. Picture; Supplied

Residents are on edge after five people were bitten off Fire Island, and one was bitten off Jones Beach. While all survived with no serious injuries, patrols have been stepped up to ensure the next attack doesn’t end in death.

The human buffet began over the July 4 holiday weekend when lifeguard Zachari Gallo was bitten in the chest at Smith Point Beach. He said he also suffered a hand injury while trying to swat away the 1.5-metre shark.

Three days later, a 17-year-old lifeguard was bitten on the foot about 135 metres offshore Ocean Beach at Fire Island.

New Yorkers flocked to beaches amid record heat. Picture: AFP

The first shark attacks began on the US’s July 4 holiday. Picture; AFP

Patrols have been stepped up after a record six attacks and 19 sightings. Picture: AFP

There were two attacks on July 13, with surfer Shawn Donnelly, 41, suffering a four-inch bite to the leg before he punched it away. It kept circling until a wave carried him to safety on the shore.

In the evening, a 49-year-old man was in waist-deep water when a shark attacked from behind and bit his left writs and buttocks before he was able to escape to shore at Seaview Beach, officials said.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul said police were “intensifying aerial and water patrols” after an unprecedented 19 shark sightings on Long Island’s Nassau County.

Originally published as The US is in the grip of a shark panic amid a sharp rise in attacks and sightings