Two sharks were spotted moving in the waters off a Long Island beach Thursday as thousands of swimmers packed the sand and water, authorities say.
A lifeguard initially evacuated Tobay Beach after spotting a five-foot shark in water, moving from the east end to the west end of the beach, around noon, authorities said. Police went up in a helicopter to check out the potential sighting and confirmed the lifeguard's sighting; they also saw another shark.
"It was a really big shark -- it was thin and long and it was scary," said beachgoer Wendy Stechman.
Danielle Frangas said there was no doubt as to what was in the water.
"We saw finds, we saw it swimming on the surface of the water, and we all kind of freaked out," she said. "It was going back and forth, and back and forth. It was scary."
About 2,000 people were at the beach at the time of the evacuation. Lifeguards sounded the all-clear a few hours later.
Earlier this month, a shark was spotted 60 yards off the shore of Overlook Beach on Long Island, prompting officials to close down three beaches for about an hour.
