After Rockaway Beach Bite, Drone Captures Sharks Hunting Close to Long Island Shore

Spurred by reports of several swimmers getting bitten by sharks close to the shoreline, a drone sweep of Long Island's coastline spotted multiple numbers of the dangerous creatures hunting for food.

Drone footage from earlier Tuesday captured sharks lurking near the shore while trying to feast on giant schools of fish on the heels of a woman getting bitten by a shark at Rockaway Beach in Queens this week. Another five people were bitten during the same week in July along the Long Island shore.

Joanna Steidle of Hampton Drones, who shot the video, shows a close-up aerial view of the schools of fish forming into bait balls, a tightly packed spherical formation, for protection. She said the footage was shot "within 100 feet of the coast of Gin Beach and Coopers Beach in Southampton Village," according to KTVU.

"With waters getting increasingly warmer, bait balls are dramatically increasing in size and are coming in closer to the shoreline. And the sharks and other predators follow their food source," Steidle said. "Sightings like this are now almost a daily occurrence in the Hamptons and can be expected throughout the rest of August."

A 50-year-old woman was hospitalized with a severe leg injury following an apparent shark attack just before 6 p.m. on Monday at Rockaway Beach. She was in critical condition when she arrived at the hospital but has since improved to serious but stable condition. Officials said she was swimming in about 10 feet of water.

Rockaway Beach has been closed to swimmers and surfers in the meantime. There were two police helicopters and a drone surveying the area Tuesday in search of sharks swimming close to the shore.

Last month in Long Island, there were three shark attacks in just two days and five in the week. A drone off the coast of Long Island Beach recently spotted 50 sand sharks, prompting a delayed opening.