Man suffers arm and leg injuries in Maui shark attack
WENDY OSHER / 2009
A sign warning of a shark sighting folowing an incident involving a surfer at Kalama Bowls on Maui.
A 36-year-old Maui man was seriously injured Friday afternoon after an encounter with a shark in waters off Hookipa Beach Park on Maui.
The victim was surfing about 50 yards from shore off the west point of the park, in an area known as “H-Poko,” when he was attacked by the shark. He suffered injuries to his left arm and left leg.
A fellow surfer heard the man scream and a 5-foot-long reef shark biting the man’s left arm.
Surfers in the area assisted in bringing the man to shore. Paramedics later transported the man to Maui Memorial Medical Center.
The incident was reported around 5 p.m.
Department of Land and Natural Resources officers cleared ocean users from Mama’s Fish House to Maliko Bay and posted warning signs along a two-mile stretch of the area.
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Officers will return to the beach on Saturday. The beach is expected to remained closed until noon, pending assessment of nearshore waters with Maui County lifeguards.
