Shark Attack Leaves Man Critical In Hawaii — Screams Heard From Beach As Shark Knocks Man Off Paddleboard
A 25-year-old man and his father were on stand-up paddleboards just off a beach in Hawaii when the water turned into a battlefield for the son’s life. The father and son were about 100 to 150 yards off the private beach of the Kukio Golf and Beach Club when a shark attacked. The patrons of the club, as well as people on the beach, heard the blood-curdling screams coming from the water.
There was no lifeguard at this private community, but there was a “private safety team” that launched a canoe into the water, and the four-person team paddled out to rescue the man. The man had been on his paddleboard one minute and in the water the next.
A huge shark bumped into the paddleboard bumping the man off and into the water where he instantly became prey for the ocean predator. The safety team was able to get the critically injured man into the canoe and bring him back to the beach.
He had severe wounds to his extremities on the ride side of his body and the team, along with people on the beach, worked quickly to apply tourniquets to the wounded areas as they waited for the paramedics to arrive. The man, who was not identified by name, lives in the private community where this occurred.
The father told rescuers how the shark first came to the surface and bumped into his son’s paddleboard, causing his son to tumble into the water. Once in the water, the shark “tore into him,” reported the Washington Post.
Man critically injured in Hawaii island shark attack https://t.co/wd6P4luRZp via @upi
— Jonesñ (@Jonesenin) April 1, 2018
The man was then airlifted to the North Hawaii Community Hospital with critical injuries. According to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, this was the first shark attack off the beaches of Hawaii’s biggest island since 2015.
Man suffers multiple injuries in shark attack in Hawaii. | MORE: https://t.co/jlnQyYFNig
— ABC News 4 (@ABCNews4) April 1, 2018
According to the Honolulu Star Advisor, the beach near where this shark attack occurred was closed immediately following this incident. The area is described as “off the Kona Coast near Hualalai, Hawaii.
The Washington Post cited how statistics show most shark attacks are not fatal. When sharks do attack people, they are most likely thinking they are attacking something that is natural prey for this creature.
Immediately following the attack on Saturday, signs went up warning any beachgoers of possible sharks in the water. Officials will decide on Sunday when they will reopen the beach.
