Shark gets taste of swimmer, leaving foot-long bite mark
A 50-year-old tourist from Homer, Alaska, was bitten on the leg by a shark Thursday afternoon off Kaanapali, Maui.
Maui County spokesman Rod Antone said the man suffered a 12-inch bite on the upper left leg and was treated at Maui Memorial Medical Center.
State Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officials said the incident happened at 1:30 p.m.
Kaanapali Beach was then closed from Kahekili Beach Park to the Black Rock area. The shoreline is expected to be reopened at midday Friday, pending a review of the coastal waters by conservation officers.
State officials said the visitor was snorkeling in 20 feet of water, which was described as clear.
The man was the second swimmer bitten by a shark this year on Maui. The other was bitten on the left foot off Paia Bay July 16.
Two surfers have also encountered sharks in Maui waters this year but were uninjured. There were nine recorded shark encounters on Maui in 2013, including two fatalities, according to state records.
NEIGHBOR ISLANDS
Maui hospital leaders warn of shortfall
KAHULUI >> Maui County hospitals in Hawaii’s state-subsidized public hospital network will have a cash-flow deficit of more than $46 million in two years without more funding, administrators said.
Decreased state allocations, a decline in federal Medicare reimbursements and increased infrastructure and labor costs are pushing the hospitals into the red, the Maui News reported Tuesday. The Maui region of Hawaii Health Systems Corp. includes Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital.
The deficit may force the hospitals to drastically cut services and jobs. Families may have to fly to Oahu to receive care, administrators said in a statement.
Residents testifying at a public hearing Monday urged state legislators to pass a measure that would allow Maui Memorial to form a partnership with a private health care provider.
New complex touted to boost access to UH
KAILUA-KONA >> New Hawaii Community College buildings are expected to be finished in Kailua-Kona next year.
University of Hawaii officials are calling the $25 million Palamanui complex a gateway center, West Hawaii Today reported. Students may use it to take courses from across the university system, many by teleconference.
Retired professor Sandra Scarr told a community forum Tuesday that twice as many high school graduates from East Hawaii enter the University of Hawaii system as students from the Big Island’s west side.
The great distance to college and university facilities discourages many in West Hawaii, she said.
Associated Press
