Shark attacks drive swimmers into crowded NYC rooftop pools

That bites.

Audrey Jongens, 24, runs a TikTok restaurant review page, named the VIP List, and lives for the beach.

“I usually go to the Hamptons, especially Montauk, at least a few times every summer,” said the Financial District resident. “It’s my happy place.”

But this summer, Jongens refuses to set foot in the ocean.

“If the water isn’t crystal clear, if I can’t see the bottom, I am not going in, considering the shark attacks,” she said.

There have been at least six “Jaws”-esque attacks this summer in the region, with numerous other sightings. A dead great white, for example, washed up on Long Island, near Quogue, in late July. Rockaway Beach closed multiple times last month because of sightings.

The shark sightings have put a damper on summer fun, leaving frightened swimmers from New York City to the Hamptons scrambling to find places to cool off. And when they do brave the waves, they are looking carefully over their shoulders.

Jongen said she’ll hang out on the sand if it’s not too hot, going to beach parties at Gurney’s in Montauk, or sitting around a bonfire at night. But with the ocean a no-go zone, she is now limited to her friend’s pools in the Hamptons or rooftop pools in the city.

The latter isn’t even a great option considering her favorite spots, such as the rooftop pool and bar at the James hotel in SoHo, seem to be getting more crowded by the day.

“I don’t even really swim now,” she said. “I just put my feet in, because I feel like so
many people are in the [pool], it’s kind of gross.”

She jokes that next summer, to live it up to the max, she needs to find a private oasis.

“I would not be opposed to having a private pool on my balcony,” she added. “That would be the dream.”

Stephanie Carino, 38, an office manager at a food tech company who lives in Astoria, grew up on Long Island and usually goes to Jones Beach or Robert Moses State Park a few times every month in the summer. This year, she’s staying away altogether.

“That would usually be the plan for summer weekends, but seeing all these news stories, I think people are even crazy to think about going,” she said. “I am avoiding the beach at all costs.”

Instead, she’s heading to pools in the city. “Some of the hotels don’t allow access, but I know which ones you can pay to get in,” she said.

ResortPass, a company that sells access to hotel pools, said its New York bookings were up 207% in July over June. Listings range from the stylish William Vale in Williamsburg ($150 for a half-day) to the flashy Margaritaville Resort near Times Square ($100 for a full day).

Sameer Qureshi, co-founder of Somewhere Nowhere NYC, a lounge and nightclub with a pool at the Renaissance New York Chelsea hotel, said he is overwhelmed with requests from people who are trying to find alternatives to the beach.

“There are solutions. There are a lot of ways to still enjoy the summer.”

Cat Colella-Graham, 52

“Having a pool in New York City right now is the ultimate unicorn,” said Qureshi. “Friends of friends are hitting me up and asking if they can bring their kids to the pool, because they are not going to the beach.”

The Summer Club, a new 24,000-square-foot day club at the Ravel Hotel in Long Island City with two pools, has hit capacity on weekends, even though it can fit 2,000 people.

“I never believed so many people from Manhattan would come to Long Island City, but 99% of my crowd is Manhattanites,” said owner Seth Levine. “We are inundated.”

Some New Yorkers would rather take their chances with the sharks — although they’re not exactly throwing caution to the wind, either.

Randi Savron, who has lived next to the ocean for more than 55 years, first in the Rockaways and now in East Atlantic Beach, said sharks have been top of mind for everybody.

“They have been closely monitoring [shark] activity with drones,” she said. “They have been shutting down the beach on occasion, up and down the peninsula.”

Her partner is a triathlete and usually swims laps one-eighth of a mile offshore, but this year, they’re more apprehensive about their daily exercise, always keeping a watch for the dreaded fins. They’re both trying to stay much closer to the beach, or out of the water completely.

“We go to a private beach club around the corner with cabanas and an Olympic-sized, heated swimming pool,” said Savron. “We also have an inflatable pool in the backyard for a quick cool off.”

James Mallios, the owner of Bar Marseille Rockaway, decided stranded swimmers needed to be cheered up. At the end of July, he announced that every time a fin was spotted, happy hour prices would kick in. (Normally, it runs from 3 to 7 p.m.)

“It sucks to schlep all your stuff to the beach and then, all of a sudden, there is a great white, and you have to get out of the water,” he said. “At least they can come and have fun here.”

Cat Colella-Graham, 52, a human resources consultant who lives in Locust Valley, Long Island, is tired of hearing about the only topic her shoreline-loving friends seem to want to talk about: sharks.

“They are like, ‘This is our beach. They are ruining our summer, blah, blah, blah,’ ” she said. “But I’m like, ‘You are a grown-up. There are solutions. There are a lot of ways to still enjoy the summer.’ “

Of course, it’s easier when you have your own pool. Colella-Graham had one built last year, when shark sightings became more frequent.

“I love to swim. It’s one of the things that I absolutely adore doing, and now I can still do it,” she said. “I don’t want to take the risk of going into the ocean as more shark-mania happens. I also feel like I need to leave the ocean alone and let the sharks have it. It’s their space.”