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Shark warning signs removed from Maui beaches

COURTESY MAUI FIRE DEPARTMENT

COURTESY MAUI FIRE DEPARTMENT

Shark warning signs posted Wednesday after tiger sharks were spotted at a stretch of beach along Maui’s south shore have been taken down, state officials said.

Shortly after noon, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources reported that its conservation officers, Maui Ocean Safety, and others completed surveys of Maui beaches impacted by shark sightings yesterday.

“They have given the all clear and all shark warning signs have been taken down,” said DLNR in a statement.

Beachgoers on Wednesday were warned to stay out of the ocean between Keawakapu Beach and White Rock Beach in Wailea, Maui, after a stand-up paddleboarder reported seeing a 10-foot tiger shark that morning about 300 yards offshore from the Andaz Wailea Resort..

Lifeguards went out on jet skis afterwards, and reported the possible sighting of three sharks at least 10 feet in length. They saw at least one shark aggressively following a group of paddleboarders, who were fending it off with their paddles.

No injuries were reported, but officials have photo evidence of a shark bite on a paddle board.

The state Health Department, meanwhile, issued a brown water advisory this morning for the entire island of Maui due to stormwater runoff from heavy rains entering coastal waters.

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