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Shark warning signs posted for third day in a row at Kaimana Beach

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM
                                Shark warning signs are seen at Kaimana Beach.

JAMM AQUINO / JAQUINO@STARADVERTISER.COM

Shark warning signs are seen at Kaimana Beach.

Shark warning signs were once again been posted at Kaimana Beach in Waikiki.

Ocean Safety officials late Thursday afternoon sent an alert saying three, 4-foot sharks were spotted by lifeguards feeding on a “bait ball” of small fish 25 yards offshore.

In addition to the warning signs, lifeguards on jet ski patrols are letting people in the water know of the situation, along with PA announcements.

It is the third day in a row that the shark warning signs have been posted, since a trio of sharks were sighted Tuesday morning. Three 4- to 5-foot white tip sharks were spotted on Tuesday, and again on Wednesday morning, leading to the shark warning signs going up again. Shark warning signs at Kaimana Beach also went up on Sunday.

Sharks have been spotted feeding off of the bait ball, and shark warning signs have been posted at Kaimana Beach, since about mid-September.

Andrew Rossiter, director of Waikiki Aquarium, said it is not unusual to see white tip as well as black tip sharks, in the area, but that they usually feed during the night.

The confluence of conditions that led to this attractive and enduring “bait ball” of fish off of Kaimana Beach has resulted, he said, in a buffet that the sharks, apparently, are unable to resist at all times of the day.

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