Shark Attack In Hawaii: West Maui Beaches Closed After Shark Bites Man
Just days after the Inquisitr reported about a shark attack from Hawaii, in which a tiger shark attacked a 34-year-old woman out for surfing, we now have yet another report of a shark attack coming from the islands. According to the Maui News, a man was bitten by a shark in the murky waters near Airport Beach, also known as the Kahekili Beach Park on the Kaanapali coast of Maui. Initial reports suggest that the man suffered a 12-inch bite on his upper leg.
The man, who is yet to be identified, was bitten by the shark while he was swimming in the shallow waters. The State Department of Land and Natural Resources on Thursday said that it was investigating the alleged shark attack, after the Maui Police received an emergency call saying that an individual was bitten by a shark. While authorities were quickly sent in, the man bitten by the shark did not wait for help to arrive, and decided to drive himself to the Maui Memorial Medical Center. His condition is now stable and he is recovering. The man was helped into a friends car by a security guard stationed at the beach.
There is little information on the kind of shark that was involved in this attack. Officials are also unsure as to how the shark attack actually took place. Further information is awaited from the man who was attacked.
Meanwhile, several sections of beaches in West Maui were closed, after news of the shark attack spread. According to Maui Now, lifeguards and state enforcement officers are monitoring the waters off the coast to check for any shark activity. The area from Pu?u Keka?a (or “Black Rock”) to Kahikili “Airport” Beach is being surveyed by the officers.
The recent spate of attacks by tiger sharks in Hawaii has led some people to believe that the same shark species could be behind this fresh attack as well. That said, it will be only after an investigation that a clearer picture would emerge.
The news about this shark attack comes barely a day after the Inquisitr reported about a hammerhead shark stalking two kayakers off the Florida coast. In the attack on the woman in Hawaii on November 1, the shark attacked her from below, latched on to her board, and started pulling her out to sea. In the melee that followed, the shark managed to inflict injuries to her hand, resulting in 20 stitches.
This latest shark attack in Hawaii is the fourth such attack in Hawaii in the spate of two weeks. None of the attacks have, however, been fatal.
[Image Via Wikimedia Commons]
