I would be not so afraid to swim parallel to the beach, but the thing that would freak me out is battling the fear that being so far out increases the odds that some creature with big nasty teeth might consider me a tasty morsel.
Ive lived on Long Island pretty much my entire life. I know sharks come into the beaches on occasion. I’ve never seen them. I fish these waters too. I’ve caught only small toothless dogfish sharks. Yeah people get bit by sharks and probably more get hit by bluefish when you swim into a bait ball they’ frenzy feeding on. But at least in these waters, you have a much better chance of drowning by fighting a riptide.
Riptides kill. Sharks? Not so much.