Because sharks are always in the water, there is no sure-fire way to reduce your chances of being bitten unless you stay out of the ocean altogether, say Kim Holland and Carl Meyer, shark team researchers at the Hawai‘i Institute for Marine Biology of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
But if you do go in, you can improve your odds of surviving a shark encounter, they say, even if badly bitten, by staying close to at least one other person in the water.
“Don’t swim or surf alone,” Holland said.
They also advise choosing beaches with lifeguards and staying closer to shore, where rescue can happen more quickly and effectively.
There’s also some evidence that sharks are less likely to approach two or more humans than a solo oceangoer, said Russell Sparks, aquatic biologist for the state Division of Aquatic Resources on Maui.
“Sharks are really adverse to any potential threat to them,” Sparks said. “A review of the statistics show there are very rarely attacks with two or more people in the water next to each other.”
Local scientists and the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File also advise:
>> Stay out of the water when it’s dirty or murky, or there’s a stream, harbor or dump nearby; sharks associate outflows with dead animals, garbage and other scavengeable food sources, Sparks said.
>> Avoid waters where people are fishing or cleaning fish.
>> With regard to what time of day is most dangerous, the experts differ. Whether you should avoid the ocean at dawn or after dark, “when sharks are more active,” according to the Florida file, or stay out from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., when there are the most people in the water and when most Hawaii attacks occur, according to Meyer, it’s up to you.
>> Best advice? Whether it’s avoiding sharks or the exponentially greater likelihood of drowning, stay alert, informed and in reach of help; know your limits; and, as Hawaii lifeguards say, “when in doubt, don’t go out.”
>> READ MORE: Sharks are more prevalent in Maui waters during winter, research shows
Tiger Shark Research by Honolulu Star-Advertiser on Scribd
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SHARK INCIDENTS IN 2019
Shark incidents can vary greatly from year to year with no clear explanation why. There were 14 Hawaii incidents in 2019, including three people who were injured while on the same swimming-with-sharks tour off Haleiwa in September, and a fatality in May when a California man was bitten while swimming off Honokowai, Maui. Over the last 10 years, there have been an average of eight shark-bite incidents a year. Of the 79 incidents during that period, 33, or 42%, and the three fatalities all occurred in Maui waters.
>> Dec. 3: At about 10 a.m. a 10- to 12-foot tiger shark bit the back of a stand-up paddleboard in clear water about a half-mile north of Kalama Beach Park in Kihei, about 200 yards from shore.
>> Sept. 26: At approximately 9 a.m. an 8- to 10-foot tiger shark bit the tail of a surfboard in turbid water about a half-mile north of Kalama Beach Park in Kihei, about 150 yards from shore.
>> Sept. 18: At 10:10 a.m., in clear water about 3 miles off Haleiwa, three people on a swimming-with-sharks tour were variously bitten on the hand, arms, chest and shoulder by what was believed to be Galapagos or sandbar sharks. (Counted by DLNR as three separate incidents.)
>> Aug. 20: At 8 a.m., approximately 15 yards from shore, a swimmer was bitten on the lower back while treading water in turbid conditions at Kealakekua Bay, Hawaii island. The shark species is unknown.
>> Aug. 11: At 7 p.m. a shark of unknown species bit the nose of a surfboard in turbid water about 100 yards off Makaha Beach, Oahu.
>> July 7: At 10:25 p.m. a swimmer crossing the Kaiwi Channel was bitten on the left thigh by a cookiecutter shark.
>> May 25: A swimmer suffered fatal injuries when a shark of unknown species severed his left leg at the knee in clear water about 120 yards offshore at Honokowai, Maui.
>> May 8: At about 9 a.m., approximately 3 miles off Haleiwa, a requiem shark bit a swimming-with-sharks tour member on the left arm and hand.
>> April 23: A stand-up paddler suffered severe lacerations on the right leg from a 6- to 8-foot requiem shark at 8:30 a.m. in clear water 35 yards offshore at Anaehoomalu in North Kona.
>> April 6: At around 1 a.m. a swimmer crossing the Kaiwi Channel was bitten on the upper back by a cookiecutter shark.
>> March 16: At 3:30 a.m. a swimmer crossing the Kaiwi Channel was bitten on the lower abdomen by a cookiecutter shark.
>> Feb. 4: At 1:30 p.m. a surfer at Hanalei Bay was bitten on the left leg by a tiger shark in turbid water about 320 yards from shore.
Source: DLNR’s dlnr.hawaii.gov/sharks/shark-incidents/incidents-list
