State officials today said the wounds reported by a man swimming about 100 yards offshore of Kehena Beach in the Puna District of the Big Island are consistent with a shark bite.

Officials from the Department of Land and Natural Resources Divisions of Conservation and Resources Enforcement and Aquatic Resources interviewed a man who suffered lacerations to his right foot while swimming in turbid water about 100 yards off shore Tuesday.

The swimmer’s wounds are consistent with a shark bite. Reports indicate he was using swim fins and the splashing action created by fins has been known to attract sharks.

Warning signs will remain in place at Kehena Beach until at least noon today.

The man had a small gash and was taken to a hospital in non-life threatening condition.

Firefighters said the man never saw what bit him.

If confirmed as a shark bite, the attack would be Hawaii’s eighth confirmed shark encounter of 2015. The average number of shark bites per year has doubled over the past decade, but scientists say that’s because there are more people in the water, providing more opportunities for encounters. There has been an average of about nine shark bites per year over the past five years.

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The Associated Press contributed to this story.