mile ho

That lady passed away today. So very, very sad.

Headed there in a few days. Will be a little more careful this time. Been known to snorkel too far out before. Not this time.

bocastephen

Very sad...and what a horrible way to go

the take-away here is never go in the water alone - especially snorkeling or surfing. Always have a buddy in the water nearby. For avoiding sharks, stay out of murky or brackish water (where fresh water streams meet the ocean), pay attention to posted warnings, always look around you when snorkeling - don't get distracted and ignore your surroundings...and don't be the only two people in the water, buddy or not.

There are some areas to avoid or at least be cautious of due to a historical record of shark activity - the southern Maui beaches, some of the beaches south of Lahaina on Maui, and the stretch of water just north of Kona up past the old airport, especially near the small boat harbor. On O'ahu, Waikiki is generally pretty safe, while Waianea and the North Shore have more shark activity. Black Rock at Maui is a safe and excellent place to snorkel, as is Kahaluu Park south of Kona on the Big Island.

I live right on the beach in Florida and won't go in past my ankles for anything - but I regularly snorkel and swim in Hawaiian waters and have done so for years without so much as a scratch, so these incidents should never scare you enough to avoid the things you enjoy.

mile ho

In retrospect I've snorkeled in HI a little carelessly at times. I've snorkeled by myself and sometimes 100 yds or more off the shore. I know that's not smart. I'm an excellent swimmer and sometimes stay out 3 hours at a time. These attacks - and your advice - have reminded me to be smarter. And of course, I won't let these tragedies keep me from doing what I love to do.

I will be smarter though.

bocastephen

I'm no slouch when it comes to doing stupid things from time to time and I've done some gems in Hawaii - one of the easiest places in the world to put yourself in the hospital if you're not careful. My best smooth-move was scrambling down a hill to get next to a lava flow for a picture, only realizing after the fact that one slip would have sent me falling head first right into the lava.

I spent one early morning floating around with a pod of about 25 dolphins with 3 other people....my friend got seasick and went back to shore with the others leaving me alone with the dolphins about 150 yards from shore - not good. A while later, all 25 dolphins vanished in a flash, spooked by something so scary it sent them off in a blink of an eye, leaving me out there all alone with a sense of absolute dead about what was in the water with me. That was the longest and quietest 150 yards I ever swam with a big lesson learned.

mile ho

My wife and I are actually going to do a lava walk for the first time next week. I really don't like paying a guide to do what we can do on our own, but I'm going to do just that. We're going to do one that goes until after dark so I'd rather go with someone who goes regularly.

Maybe since I turned 50 I've gotten a little wiser. At least I hope so.

CPRich

Sad to hear.

Perhaps I should have been a bit more concerned swimming around with my friend at Honolua last month. But when I spotted him the day before, and mentioned it on the Trilogy, they expressed no concerns. I'll probably have a bit more trepidation next trip, even though this bay rarely meets the danger criteria of cloudy/choppy/etc. water.


My very amateur estimate was a 5 foot white-tipped reef shark

Ancien Maestro

This new articles from the Calgary Sun, my home town newspaper online three days ago..

http://www.calgarysun.com/2013/08/21...unds-in-hawaii

The German girl attacked and had her arm bitten off by the shark lost her life today. Our family's deepest heartfelt condolences goes out to her family and friends. Such a tragedy. We were in the waters not far off the ocean shores where the accident happened. Our entire family including my 2 children. A sad day indeed. I initially read this article while our family stayed at the fairmont Kea Lani resort.

This article in the Maui Newspaper, I read sitting down onsite Hyatt Regency Maui..

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/08/22...ntcmp=trending

rockdoc

We were staying at a condo at the Mauna Kea Resort last week (returned home Wednesday). The beaches at MK and Hapuna were closed on Sunday because of the sighting of one and possible three sharks late that morning.

According to the resort staff I spoke with, the confirmed sighting was of a probable Tiger shark approximately 12 feet long. Several choppers passing over the beaches at regular intervals for the rest of the day. Beaches reopened on Monday.

rodjune

Before my family and I moved to O'ahu in 2008, I thought carelessly about the dangers of the Hawaiian waters on usually annual visits. Once I moved there, began reading Star and Advertiser articles of frequent drownings, my beach visits were exclusively Ala Moana Beach and Hanauma Bay, mostly tame waters where I could think more about living life to the fullest and not how I might cut short my time with my wife and young children.

Ancien Maestro

The outlook has changed for us as well.. I've began to be thankful for the man made coves in the shape in which Hanauma Bay is carved out.

At Ko Olina, I was told a Japanese developer blew out 4 of these a while back (IIRC 80's). Nowadays developers are not allowed to create man made coves, but its sure nice and safe for the kids and family to enjoy the ocean. Very relaxing and detoxifying.

We also enjoyed the cove at Fairmont Orchid on the Big Island.

flightmedic72

I have family in Kealakakua and have spent considerable time in Kona over the last 30 years. I am an avid scuba diver (as well as a certified public safety diver). I have logged better than a hundred dives along the Kona coast from south point to north of Kawaihae without incident. The manta ray night dive here is one of the most incredible experiences you will ever have. The huge Mantas will come within inches of you as they feed on the plankton that gather in the beam of your dive light.
The diversity of life in this area is amazing and the abundance is enough to keep the local sharks fat and very well fed. They do not prey on humans as a part of their normal food chain. As a matter of fact, humans do not taste well to sharks, that is why most of the shark attacks involve the victim being "bitten" rather than "eaten"! The key is to avoid behavior that mimics food (don't act like a seal) as well as avoiding areas where they feed. I have seen "laverne" (the locals name for the 15+ foot tiger shark that hangs out at Honokohau harbor beach) on a number of occasions directly under the spot where the tourist snorkel boats anchor. She seemed much more intent on following the fishing boats into the harbor than investigating the humans in the water. I have had "shark encounters" numerous times without incident. White tip reef sharks sleep during the daylight hours and will tolerate being (accidentally) touched in the dark of an underwater lava tube.
The bottom line is to respect the ocean and keep situational awareness and you will have an amazing experience.

cblaisd

We can only hope:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifest...1fc_story.html

loomis

http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/2...beach-closures