UPDATE: Lifeguards Say Sharks Were Likely Skates

By Kevin Shea

Belmar sunbathers say they spotted an apparent brown fish that resembled a shark in the ocean off 7th Avenue Thursday evening, but lifeguards say it was probably a skate.

Police acknowledged they received the report of a shark sighting, but the Belmar Beach Patrol - which had been setting up for a lifeguard tournament - said they investigated the site of the spotting, and said the fish was likely a skate.

Bob Karatz of the Belmar Beach Patrol said he saw skates when he entered the deeper waters, spotting them as the lifeguards were setting up for the Junior Lifeguard Tournament.

Witnesses said the fish – estimated to be about 4 to 5 feet – appeared at about 5:15 p.m., just after lifeguards went off duty for the evening. It was brown in color, witnesses said.

Stingrays and skates are closely related to sharks, according to the Star News online out of Wilmington, N.C. Both fish, however, can be harmless.

Stingrays and skates look alike and share some common traits, according to the article. Stingrays are kite-shaped and have streamlined tails with one or more venomous barbs. Skates don’t have barbs, relying instead on thorn-like formations on their backs and tails to deter predators, according to the article.

"I've been on the beach in Belmar for more than 50 years, and I've only seen one shark in the bathing lanes in all that time," Karatz said. "I haven't seen any cow-nose rays. The rays that I saw are the regular skates we've seen over the years. They're pretty sharp looking."According to Jersey Shore Hurricane News, fish that look like stingrays have been frolicking in the surf this week, contributors report.

The U.S. Coast Guard has released period advisories since the beginning of June, however, about shark sightings in the area, and has advised people to exercise caution.