(NewsNation) — In Long Island, New York, a shark bit a tourist from Arizona who was standing in shallow waters on Wednesday — that’s the fifth shark attack in the area in two weeks.
Four of the attacks happened on Fire Island in Suffolk County, The Washington Post reported. The fifth attack, the newspaper said, was at Jones Beach Island in Nassau County.
None of the victims were seriously injured.
One of them, lifeguard Zach Gallo, 33, was completing a training in Suffolk County when he was bitten by a shark. He ended up fending off the shark with his bare hands.
“I think this was just a curious animal and I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said.
It’s not just on the East Coast where sharks have gone after people. One man recently survived a bite from a great white shark 150 yards from the beach in Pacific Grove, California near Monterey.
Steve Bruemmer, 62, said the animal grabbed him, pulled him up and dove him back down into the water.
“And then, of course, it spit me out. I’m not a seal — it’s looking for a seal. We’re not their food,” he said.
Bruemmer ended up getting bitten on his legs and abdomen. After a two-hour lifesaving operation and three weeks in the hospital, he will now be able to go home, although he suffered a broken femur.
When sharks bite people, wildlife biologist Forrest Galante told NewsNation, it’s usually a case of the animal mistaking the human for natural prey — sharks eat fish, not people.
“They’re not out there to get you — and it’s their ocean, it’s not our ocean,” he said. “So when we’re talking about sharks, be respectful. Don’t be fearful.”
To prevent getting bitten, Galante says to avoid wearing shiny bathing suits or trunks, or holding something shiny, as that’s what sharks are attracted to.
If you do get bitten, Galante says, for the best chance of survival, punch the shark in the nose, gills or eyes, as those are all very sensitive. Chances are, he added, if you hit a shark once or twice, they’ll release you.
Although shark sightings have been increasing off U.S. coasts, the recent number of attacks is unusual, the Washington Post noted. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack file, there were only 47 confirmed unprovoked attacks in the U.S. last year.