Boy seriously injured in apparent shark attack in Makaha
Officials are investigating an apparent shark attack at Makaha Surfing Beach this afternoon.
Paramedics and lifeguards treated a 10-year-old boy for trauma “possibly from a marine animal,” just before 3 p.m., according to an Emergency Medical Services report.
He was in serious condition.
Shayne Enright, an Emergency Services Department spokeswoman, said a Makaha man who was surfing at the beach brought the injured boy to shore.
The man, Kelly Krohne, an offduty lifeguard captain, said the boy suffered a gash on his upper right thigh while about 60-70 yards offshore.
Chance Cacatian, 18, of Waianae, said he was lying on the beach when people started screaming and running past him.
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“They pulled a young boy onto the quad” vehicle, Cacatian and “the lifeguards did their thing on him.”
A lifeguard said the boy had been attacked 30 feet off shore, Cacatian said.
The boy was reportedly bitten on the right leg and taken to a hospital, said Deborah Ward, spokeswoman for the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
DLNR has sent enforcement officers out to assist lifeguards and fire rescue personnel to close the beach and post warning signs from Keaau to Lahilahi Point, Ward said.
State and city officials scheduled a news conference for Thursday to discuss today’s incident and other recent shark attacks.