We love a hot summer’s day spent at the beach, and thankfully NYC is home to two of the best beaches in the country. However, if you are hitting the beach this summer you’re going to want to make sure you’re only swimming if there’s a lifeguard around as a new study has ranked NY as the second most dangerous state to go swimming.
The study was done by Florida-based law firm Anidjar & Levine who looked at data from the U.S. Lifesaving Association (between the years 2021 and 2023) to find which states pose the highest dangers to swimmers.
The numbers showed that for every 100,000 beachgoers heading to NY beaches from 2021 to 2023, New York averaged 73.7 rescues.
The only state with a higher rescue average than New York was Oregon, with an average of 81.8 rescues per 100,000 beachgoers, however Oregon’s beachgoer attendance was a mere 361,967 compared to New York’s 4,551,283.
Beyond New York and Oregon, Maryland, Virginia, and California rounded out the top five.
Several factors come into play when looking at beachgoers’ safety in the water.
First off, it’s not unusual to spot sharks at New York beaches. And though thankfully no shark attacks have been reported so far this year, a handful were reported last year–though just last week there was a shark spotted lurking in Rockaway waters.
To help keep swimmers safe from possible shark attacks, shark-monitoring drones have been distributed to coastal areas of Long Island, NYC, and Westchester County, and you can always follow shark activity near NYC waters with this interactive tracker.
If you are planning on going into the water at the beach, it’s urged that you pay attention to the color of the flags at the beach as they indicate potential ocean dangers to help keep beachgoers safe.