Lyudmila Emag, a 47-year-old woman from Brooklyn, bravely fought and repelled a shark while swimming off the coast of Fire Island on July 4th.
The shark reportedly bit Emag’s upper thigh and groin while she was swimming in shallow waters with two friends, according to ABC7 New York.
According to https://t.co/iVSfUQLRL4, as of July 17, there have been 25 shark bites in the U.S. this year, and five of them were on Long Island. One victim who was bitten on Fire Island on the Fourth of July is now speaking out. @DougWilliamsTV reports. https://t.co/lUl8PJ17Rq
— CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) July 21, 2023
Despite the sudden and excruciating pain, Emag said she managed to insert her hands into the shark’s mouth and successfully unclench its jaws from her body, the outlet noted.
“I did have a small cut on my on my hand, so it felt like I had to really, you know, struggle to unclench the jaw,” Emag told reporters. The ABC7 report did not specify the type of shark, but great white sharks, which have been spotted in the waters off Long Island, can have a bite force of up to 4,000 pounds per square inch.
With the help of her friends, Emag made her way back to the shore, where lifeguards promptly called the park police for further assistance. She was then transported to South Shore University Hospital (SSUH), becoming the second shark attack victim treated at the facility that day, per ABC7 New York. (RELATED: 50 Sharks Shut Down Long Island Beach After Teens Bitten)
SSUH Emergency Dept. Physician Nadia Baranchuk described the patient as “super calm,” the outlet reported.
This July 4th weekend witnessed a total of five reported shark bite incidents off Long Island, prompting authorities in Suffolk County and New York State to implement enhanced measures to protect beachgoers. Among these measures is the deployment of shark-monitoring drones along the shores of Long Island and New York City, the outlet reported.
In the United States, 22 shark attacks have been documented this year, with Florida leading the count with 13 incidents, followed by five in New York, three in Hawaii, and one in South Carolina, according to trackingsharks.com.