Shark Washes Ashore in West End

A 10-foot basking shark washed ashore in Long Beach on Wednesday afternoon, the Long Beach Police Department told Patch.

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The shark was alive when a city lifeguard found the creature on a West End beach, between New York and Pennsylvania avenues, at about 3:20 p.m.

Lt. Eric Cregeen, the LBPD’s public information officer, said basking sharks are not man-eaters, and that swimmers shouldn’t be concerned that this particular shark was found on the Long Beach shoreline. 

Cregeen noted that the shark didn’t appear to have any injuries and, as its name suggests, the shark typically likes to swim in shallow water to bask in the sun.

Earlier this week a dolphin stranded itself on the east end of Jones Beach. The male mammal died shortly after being rescued by The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.