INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Tiger Shark Attacks Maui Surfer, Bites Board

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 13:29 PST, Oct 18, 2014

Crews worked to clear a section of beach in South Maui on Saturday, after a confirmed shark bite incident left one surfer with a row of teeth marks in his board and a lucky escape.

Though the surfer was uninjured, he appeared shaken by the shark attack, according to witnesses who spoke with The Maui News. Maui County spokesman Rod Antone confirmed that a tiger shark was responsible for the attack, measuring between 12 and 14 feet in length.

According to Maui Now, the incident was reported in the M??alaea area of South Maui, around 11:30 a.m. on October 18. Brianne Savage, Interim Director of the County of Maui Parks and Recreation department, related that authorities were ordering surfers out of the water, despite the fact that the surfer whose board was bitten by the shark was not injured.

“It was confirmed a 12 to 14 foot shark did bite a surfer’s board. DLNR will be clearing the surrounding water,” she said.

The surf off the Lauloa Condominium Resort was three to four feet high at the time of the attack, and according to Dan Dennison of Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources, the water was dirty, a common risk factor for shark attacks. As Hurricane Ana passes to the South, a flash flood watch and high surf advisory are in effect for Maui, ahead of waves predicted to be in the 10-to 14-foot range.

According to Dennison, the surfer had to fend off the shark’s attack. As he shoved his board at the animal, the shark left a semicircle of marks more than a foot across. Though medics responded to the scene, they left around noon, after determining the surfer did not require their attention.

Aggressive predators, tiger sharks are solitary hunters with a reputation for eating just about anything, as The Inquisitr previously reported. Growing to 13 feet, with exceptionally large specimens reaching 15 feet, tiger sharks are responsible for a large number of fatal attacks on humans and are commonly regarded as one of the more dangerous shark species.

Maui police closed beaches between McGregor’s Point and Kealia Beach Pond due to a shark sighting, and they will remain closed until 12 p.m. on Sunday, at which time authorities will reassess the situation.

[Images via Maui Now]

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