TWO Shark Attacks On Long Island Turn 'Shark Week' Into 'Shark Summer'

Two shark attacks were reported in one day off the coast of Long Island.

These are only two more incidents to add to the growing list of shark sightings and reported injuries since the start of beach season.

According to NBC News, a 49-year-old Arizona man was bitten on the wrist and the buttocks. According to Suffolk County police, the man had been swimming in waist-deep water off Seaview Beach at around 6 PM.

Officials say that a shark bit a paddleboarder near Smith Point about 20 miles away earlier in the day. However, officials cannot say at this time if the injuries were caused by the same shark.

Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said that a person was knocked off their paddleboard by a shark around 7:30 AM. They sustained a 4-inch gash to their leg but were able to punch the shark and fight it off. A wave helped push the paddleboarder back to shore and away from the shark, which the person estimates to be a 4-foot-long tiger shark.

A search was conducted for the shark and none was found, leading officials to reopen the beach on Wednesday afternoon.

10 days before these two incidents, officials say that a lifeguard was also bitten by a shark at Smith Point. All three injuries were not life-threatening.

The lifeguard had been playing a victim in a training exercise when he was reportedly bitten in the chest. NBC News says that it was the first reported shark attack since Smith Point County Park opened in 1959.

In fact, Suffolk County officials say that shark attacks are extremely rare. According to the Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File, only 12 unprovoked shark attacks have been confirmed in New York, which is much fewer than many might initially suspect.

In fact, "The Vampire Diaries" star Nina Dobrev is actually a big advocate for shark conservation and actually posted a video for her Instagram followers swimming with tiger sharks to show how gentle they can be.

In the caption of the post, “Love Hard” actress wrote, “if you’ve been following me for a while you know how much i love free diving with sharks,” she explained. “i used to be afraid of them until i got into the water to try to get over my fear. That’s when i realized how uninterested in humans they are.”

Nina explained that she’s been in the water “with so many different kinds of sharks” but it’s always been a dream of hers to swim with Tiger Sharks. Now, she finally got her chance!

“The Bricklayer” star revealed that there were three tiger sharks in the water when she went swimming. She said that Roxy, a 14-foot tiger shark, was “especially friendly.” She pointed out that they were not in a cage, and yet the sharks were very calm. “they’re not aggressively swimming or trying to bite or attack us. that’s because they are peaceful misunderstood creatures," she wrote. "they’re portrayed in media as vicious killers, but they’re quite the opposite.”

“in fact, recently there have been shark killing competitions in the United States - in Florida, Alabama etc. Humans are hunting and brutally murdering these beautiful sharks who are minding their own business. For what?” she asked. “For sport, prize money and bragging rights.”

Nina wrote, “It disgusts me,” adding, “It makes me so sad to see their corpses washed up on the sand after they’ve been thrown back into the water to drown. WE (humans) are the vicious KILLERS.”

“We NEED sharks to have a healthy ocean. If we continue to do these shark killing competitions they will be extinct soon and the ocean will die,” she concluded. “And we NEED the ocean because it makes 70% of the oxygen for US to breathe. Sit with that.”

Her boyfriend, Olympic snowboarder Shaun White, also went swimming with the sharks. He wrote, “They were so calm and peaceful. I was so sad to learn that sharks are being hunted for sport. They need to be protected, not killed.”

Note: The photos of sharks in this article are stock images and do not portray the shark reported to cause the injuries to any of the three victims mentioned above.