STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — As beachgoers flock to the Long Island shores for Fourth of the July holiday weekend, lifeguards are taking extra steps to ensure swimmer safety, including monitoring the ocean for sharks from above using drones.
According to Long Island News 12, lifeguards at Jones Beach State Park in Wantagh deploy drones several times a day to scan the water for sharks and the conditions that may attract them. The unmanned aircraft provide a more comprehensive view of the water, allowing crews to spot potential hazards more quickly.
“Our key thing that we’re really looking for is large pools of bait and bunker fish,” Cary Epstein, a Jones Beach supervising lifeguard, told News 12. “That’s typically where sharks are feeding off these fish just offshore.”…