Shark attacks man swimming off Maui
A 61-year-old Paia man reported being attacked by a 6- to 8-foot gray reef shark Wednesday afternoon in Paia, a Maui Fire Department official said.
The swimmer was about 200 yards offshore at Paia Beach when he was reportedly bitten just before 5:27 p.m., MFD Battalion Chief Al Duarte said.
Fire Operations Chief Lee Mainaga said the man was able to swim to shore on his own and walked to the grassy area of the Paia Youth Center.
He had five or six lacerations to his left foot, the longest of which was 6 inches, he said.
He was taken to the Maui Memorial Medical Center in stable, non-life-threatening condition, Mainaga said.
Department of Land and Natural Resources personnel and police went to the scene to warn beachgoers and secure the scene, fire officials said.
DLNR spokeswoman Deborah Ward said state conservation officers would close a 2-mile section of the beach at Paia Bay at first light Thursday and assess the area for the presence of sharks. If nothing is found, DLNR may reopen the beach at noon.
The man frequently swims in the area, Duarte said.
New helicopter will speed trips for patients
KAILUA-KONA » Patients in West Hawaii who need to be transferred to hospitals on Oahu and Maui from Hawaii island now have a faster helicopter transport.
The West Hawaii Today newspaper said the Eurocopter EC135 was unveiled Tuesday at Kona Community Hospital.
The helicopter is equipped with night vision and navigational aids lacking in a previous aircraft used by Life Flight Hawaii. The new helicopter also can carry heavier loads.
Previously, night transfers involved transporting patients to the airport, taking them off island on a Life Flight airplane, and then taking them by ambulance again to their destination.
That process could take four hours. Hospital CEO Jay Kreuzer says that with the new helicopter, the same transport can take a little over an hour or a little under an hour, depending on the destination.
Part of road will be closed for culvert work
A portion of Kamalu Road in Wailua, Kauai, will be closed next week to allow installation of a culvert.
The closure of the portion of the road in the vicinity of Wailua Homesteads Park will be from Monday to July 27.
Motorists are advised to seek alternative routes while the work is being done.
The Kamalu Road culvert project began June 16 and is expected to be done by the end of August.
Anyone with questions can call the county contractor, Earthworks Pacific Inc., at 246-8808 or Wynne Ushigome with the Department of Public Works at 241-4890.
