Shark attack leaves standup paddler in critical condition

A 25-year-old standup paddler was bumped off his board and critically injured by a shark Saturday off the Kona Coast in Hawaii’s first shark attack of the year.

The man, who was accompanied by his father, was about 100 to 150 yards offshore from the south end of Kukio Beach when the incident occurred at about 9:30 a.m., said acting Battalion Chief Michael Grace of the Hawaii County Fire Department.

Members of the Kukio Community Association heard cries for help from shore and paddled out in a four-person outrigger canoe to pick up the victim, whose name was not released. An off-duty firefighter and others rendered first aid on the beach, applying multiple tourniquets to his right arm and leg, Grace said.

Firefighters arrived and a helicopter transported the man in critical condition to North Hawaii Community Hospital. He was later flown to The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Grace said.

Grace said the man’s father was brought to shore on a personal watercraft.

A description of the shark was not immediately available.

A Department of Land and Natural Resources spokesman said Kukio Beach was closed for one mile in both directions after the attack, a standard precaution in such cases. Warning signs were posted and will remain up until at least noon today. A decision on whether to reopen the beach will be made this morning based on ocean observations, he said.

The last shark attack in Hawaii occurred New Year’s Eve when North Shore resident Marjorie Mariano was bitten by a 10- to 12-foot tiger shark while surfing. She sustained lacerations to the back of her thigh.

According to the DLNR’s website, there were six reported shark incidents in Hawaii last year: three on Oahu, one on Maui and two on Kauai.

Saturday’s shark attack was the first off the Big Island since December 2015, when a 9-foot shark grabbed the tail of a standup paddleboard about 600 yards offshore from Pahoehoe Beach in Kailua-Kona. No one was hurt in that encounter.

Grace urged ocean users to use a buddy-system for safety.

“Anytime you do ocean activities, always do it with at least one other person,” he said. “In this case, if he had been alone, the outcome could have been much different.”