LOW ALT CIVIL OP. A PVT PLT IS ACCUSED OF LOW FLYING OFFSHORE BY LCL POLICE.

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THE OCCURRENCE IN QUESTION TOOK PLACE DURING A RECENT VACATION IN THE NEW YORK CITY AREA. AS A PVT PLT FROM NORTHERN CALIFORNIA; I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE NEW YORK AIRSPACE AND SPENT THE MAJORITY OF THE CHKOUT ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT LCL PROCS. AFTER THE CHKOUT; I RETURNED TO RENT A PLANE FOR A PLEASURE/SCENIC FLT. AS PIC; I DEPARTED STRAIGHT OUT ON RWY 19 FROM FRG ARPT AND PROCEEDED OVER THE COASTLINE. THE INITIAL CRUISE ALT WAS 1000 FT MSL UNTIL I WAS CLR OF THE SHORELINE. ONCE CLR; I DSNDED TO AN ALT OF 500 FT MSL AND FLEW A SHORT TOUR OF THE BAY. FOLLOWING THIS WAS A TRIP OVER FIRE ISLAND AND OUT OVER THE OCEAN. WHILE OVER THE OCEAN AT 500 FT MSL; I HAD A NON FLYING PAX WHO ASKED IF WE COULD FLY LOWER. I RESPONDED THAT IT WAS NOT A SAFE THING TO DO; BUT HE PROCEEDED TO PRESSURE ME TO DSND. I SUBSEQUENTLY SUCCUMBED TO THE PRESSURE AND FLEW THE COASTLINE; OVER THE OCEAN WHILE PARALLEL TO THE BEACH; AT APPROX 1/4 MI FROM THE SHORE (WBOUND); LEVEL AT 200 FT MSL. SHORTLY AFTER DSNDING TO THE LOWER ALT; A HELI APPEARED BELOW US AT 2 O'CLOCK DEPARTING FROM A HELIPORT (NOT MARKED ON THE NEW YORK SECTIONAL). AT THAT POINT; I INITIATED A CLBING L TURN AND RETURNED TO 1100 FT AND COMPLETED THE FLT AND RETURNED TO REPUBLIC. SHORTLY AFTER I CONTACTED THE TWR FOR LNDG; THE ROTORCRAFT ALSO RPTED IN; AS A POLICE HELI; AND FOLLOWED MY ACFT TO THE FIELD WHERE I WAS THREATENED WITH CIVIL PENALTIES FOR VIOLATING WHAT HE PERCEIVED TO BE A VIOLATION OF THE FARS FOR MSA'S. EVEN THOUGH I WAS OVER THE OCEAN AND CLR OF THE BEACH; I DO BELIEVE THAT FLYING AT THE ABOVE MENTIONED ALT WAS RISKY CONSIDERING I WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE AREA. THE LESSON LEARNED WAS ONE OF PAX PRESSURE VERSUS GOOD PLT JUDGEMENT. DON'T GIVE IN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE PLT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT HE DID FLY AS LOW AS 200 FT ASL IN HIS RENTED PIPER PA28-140 CHEROKEE. HE HAS NOT HEARD FROM THE POLICE DEPT OR THE FAA SINCE. HE DID CALL THE FBO ABOUT A MONTH AGO AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN CONTACTED RECENTLY EITHER.