Shark sighted by Maui stand-up paddler

A stand-up paddler may have narrowly escaped being bitten by an 8-foot tiger shark Wednesday afternoon off Ukumehame on Maui.

State Department of Land and Natural Resources officers said Matt Kinoshita, 43, of Haiku, owner of Kazuma Surfboards, was about 75 yards off Ukumehame in 5 feet of water about 2 p.m. "when he saw the shark approaching him from the side with its mouth open."

Kinoshita then "turned his board toward the shark and ran over its back with the board," DLNR said in a news release. Kinoshita said he last saw the shark heading in the direction of Kihei.

He reported the incident to lifeguards, DLNR said. Maui Ocean Safety sent out a lifeguard on a personal watercraft to monitor the water, but there was no further sighting.

Windward Oahu aircraft noise to increase

The Marine base in Kaneohe is about to get a lot noisier. But the higher decibels will be temporary.

A Boeing 767 transporting training personnel will arrive at and take off from Kaneohe Marine Corps Air Station between midnight tonight and 4 a.m. Friday, the Marines announced.

Also, F/A-18 Hornet aircraft will be based at the air station from Friday through Feb. 5 in support of training by the 3rd Marine Regiment, the Marines said by email Wednesday. Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 224, based in Beaufort, S.C., will support the infantrymen of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, and 1st Battalion, 12th Marines, as they conduct pre-deployment training at the Pohakuloa Training Area on Hawaii island, the Marines said.

The Marines are heading to Okinawa for six months.

Windward residents may see and hear increased aircraft activity around the base between 7 a.m. and midnight Mondays through Thursdays and 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays. There will be round-the clock operations from Jan. 22 to 26.

For more information, call 257-8832.

Safety work closing Waimea Bay all month

Waimea Valley will be closed to the public through January while workers conduct rock-scaling (clearing loose rock from slopes) at the North Shore refuge’s front entrance and waterfall area.

"The valley rock scaling maintenance is aimed at providing our visitors with a safe and first-rate experience when they visit us," Richard Pezulla, executive director of the Waimea Valley nonprofit organization, said in a recent statement. The last rock-scaling was done in 2008 and there haven’t been any reported rock slides there since then, according to the statement. The site will reopen sometime around Jan. 30 barring unforseen circumstances.

Waimea Valley further aims to finish renovating the Proud Peacock Restaurant and reopen the establishment in March, according to the statement.

NEIGHBOR ISLANDS

NPS program seeks students

Haleakala National Park is recruiting applicants for its ‘Imi i ka Lama Collegiate Internship Program, an eight-week session aimed at college students who want to pursue a career in natural resources conservation and/or with the National Park Service.

Applicants must be Hawaii residents currently in college and able to provide their own housing on Maui from June 2 to July 25.

Interns will earn an allowance of $200 per week to help offset the cost of supplies and equipment required for the program. The team leader will earn $430 per week.

Program graduates will be eligible to earn an AmeriCorps Education Award of $1,175 that can be applied to higher-education costs or student loans.

Program hours are from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Interns will camp in remote areas with minimal facilities for a week at a time and attend helicopter training.

Contact Kuhea Asiu at 808-572-4452 or Kuhea_Paracuelles@nps.gov for an application packet. Applications must be postmarked by Feb. 15.

Field upgrade nearly complete

Improvements to the football field at Kapaa New Town Park are expected to be finished by the end of February under a $249,302 contract awarded by Kauai County. Kaua‘i Builders Ltd. will do clearing, grubbing and grading and put in new grass and goal posts, the county said Wednesday by email.

The county has made a number of improvements to the park, including installation of new bleachers and field lighting; building a new announcer’s booth and locker room; and Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades to sidewalks and seats.
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Star-Advertiser staff