Four Saved From Shark-Infested Waters Off Fire Island

Two off-duty Nassau Marine Officers helped save four fisherman whose "boat began sinking in shark-infested waters south of Fire Island," according to Newsday. Mike Spagnuolo and Mike Larmony, in Spagnuolo's charter boat, the Gina Ann, heard the distress call; Spagnuolo said, "We heard the panic in their voice and we knew we had to get there. We knew there were no other boats out there." The distressed boat, the Anger Management, sank minutes after the Gina Ann arrived. Anger Management captain Ray Pasieka and his crew put on life jackets and swam about 50 feet to the Gina Ann. Pasieka, who caught a mako shark but left it on the sinking boat, said, "That was the biggest fear, jumping in the water. We knew there was a shark in the water in eating distance."

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By Jen Chung in News on July 10, 2009 8:17 AM

Comments [rss]

NannyState

I'm out there all day and night ladling chum and this is all I get?

JUST A NORMAL GUY (THE ORIGINA

WELL I DID'NT KNOW THAT WE WERE CALLING THEM 'SHARKS' THIS DAYS, BUT I GUESS I WILL GET WITH THE NEW 'LINGO'

KiljoyWasHere

"eating distance"

LOVE IT.

PTG in nyc

Right, because mako shark attacks off of LI/FI happen everyday. Sinking in the ocean is dangerous and I'm glad they were quickly rescued, but c'mon.

#3 militza, your Katrina analogy is more misplaced than the notion that these guys were going to get eaten by a shark.

Jen S

I thought the same thing - we only have dinky sharks on LI!

militza

I know, right? I'm feeling wacky today!

*cackles wildly*

militza

"We heard the panic in their voice and we knew we had to get there. We knew there were no other boats out there."

WOW! they should've taken such swift action when Katrina hit. Then again it's Fire Island, more money than New Orleans.

JenChungsBaby

Yeah, those Nassau County Marine officers should have been right on top of that Katrina situation.

What melodrama about the sharks. But the irony would have been great if they had been eaten while their boat sank with a dead shark aboard.