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Suffolk County Officials Say Shark Scare Appears To Be Over

WESTHAMPTON DUNES, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The coast is clear.

That's the word from officials on Long Island after a handful of sharks were seen in the waters near Cupsogue Beach County Park in Westhampton earlier this week.

Deputy Suffolk County Parks Commissioner Tracey Bellone said the county park will be open to swimmers this weekend.

"It took me about three years to go swimming after seeing 'Jaws.' This could be another 30 years before I go back in," beachgoer Steve Schachner said Wednesday.

However, marine biologists said the fish were likely plankton-eating basking sharks that were feeding in the area. Basking sharks are the second largest fish in the ocean next to the Whale shark and can grow to be up to 40-feet long.

Cupsogue Beach is on the western end of Dune Road, next to the village of Westhampton Dunes.

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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