Shark Attack off Kauai Waters Tragic
 

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmp...s/shark_attack

Since this has now become national attention, making the front page of Yahoo, I thought I'd bring this up to caution people, especially those surfers and body boarders who go out pretty far, there are sharks off Hawai'i waters...

All I can think about is poor Bethany who had her whole future in front of her...

Life can be tragic. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/frown.gif

I feel so sorry that this happened to this little girl. Perhaps she will triumph in the face of adversity. It sounds like she is one gutsy little girl.

Here is the surfboard.. http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar...ln01a.html#top

I remember the story of young male surfer who was bitten on the leg near Poipu. He wanted to continue hula as I remember.

Just when I wanted to start getting back in the water...

Didn't see a http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/wink.gif so I hope you are kidding.

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No, not kidding. I've had some scares and problems in the water.

As a child, some neighbors playing in the pool, almost got me drowned. I had a mild panic attack in the Bahamas while snorkling and am constantly bombarded with TV, movies and news reports which remind me why I prefer to spend my time on shore.

I understand that the chances of something happening are slim, but I seem to attract problems.

As an example, I'm standing in a post office and I hear a crash outside. A guy comes in and says "A dog just drove a truck into a car". We laughed but someone went outside to look and came back to report that it was the truth. The driver had left his truck running while he came in the post office and his dog was in the front seat. The dog jumped in the drivers seat and put his paws on the wheel, and hit the shift lever. The truck hit a parked car. MY parked car. My beautiful, reasonably new Camaro.The car I park away from other people so they don't dent the doors...

Everybody is afraid of something. A guy I know used to be in a motorcycle gang. Nothing would make him back down, nothing would scare him, that is, except even the smallest spider.

I recently realized that I was not afraid of heights, only afraid of falling. If you think about it, there is a difference.

I'm getting better... but still. Sharks are supposed to hunt in dark and murky water. They are not supposed to be in clear water like this one was. Until he/she realizes the error of his/her ways, I'll give wide berth to the thing.

Here is the girls webpage, with a status.

http://bethanyhamilton.com/

I'm being serious Lavarock7, there is therapy.

I could not even imagine being afraid of going in the water, especially in Hawaii.

FWIW, I have come close to drowning a few times (the kind when it one almost goes black and comes up coughing water), one time was actually during Lifesaving Swimming when an instructor pulled me under during double drowning practice.

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What I was surprised to find in reading about this was that this was the fourth attack this year in the islands - fortunately none of them fatal. One was just last month - a woman was wading in the ocean on Maui and got bit. I searched all over to find stories about that attack - or any of the others this year - and there simply aren't any. I couldn't even find any in the Honolulu Advertiser. This year looks to be better than last year though when there were six or eight attacks, again none fatal. Still the number of attacks in Hawaii seems to be about equal to the number in all of Australia. Florida looks to hold the lead though.

While statistically the chances of getting attacked are very small (more people die each year from getting hit in the head by coconuts), this lack of coverage sure gives the impression there's attempt to keep the tourists from hearing about these.

Are you talking about this attack?
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../ln/ln06a.html

The Honolulu Advertiser site is a difficult site to search alone. A Google search with the terms Honolulu Advertiser in it often brings up many more articles than a search within the Advertiser website alone would bring up...

Although I wouldn't be surprised if there was a notion of trying to hide these shark attacks... People come to Hawai'i for her beaches... and if they're shark-infested waters... well...

Aloha

slippahs: No, that's not the one I'm talking about. That one happened last year. The one I was referring to happened to a 41-year-old Maui woman on Oct. 5 of this year while she was simply wading. With the exception of Bethany, what I've noticed is the attacks only make the news if they're on tourists.

Here are the other attacks, besides Bethany's, this year:

>> Oct. 5: A 41-year-old Maui woman was bitten on the left thigh and right index finger while wading in shallow waters off Kihei at about 1 p.m.

>> June 24: A 60-year-old Manoa man was bitten on the right foot in waters off Makua at 8 a.m. by a shark estimated to be about 12 feet long.

>> May 10: Just before 1 p.m., a 20-year-old Kamuela man was bitten in 8-foot waters off Kahaluu on the right calf, ankle and foot by a 6-foot-long shark.


[This message has been edited by letiole (edited 11-06-2003).]

Ahh I see... There was suspicion that the attack might have been by an eel as well... Here's the press:

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../ln/ln27a.html
http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../ln/ln24a.html

Aloha

You're fast! Thanks for the links. Weird though. Eels aren't usually aggressive unless provoked. Sounds fishy to me. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...orum/smile.gif

An update on our little trooper:

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../ln/ln01a.html

Quite a disturbing picture knowing that her life has undoubtedly changed forever. At least she still wears that smile and is more than excited to get back out into the water -- a sign of a true trooper.

Aloha

A quick update that out little trooper has surfed in a competative meet again http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...um/biggrin.gif

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/ar.../ln/ln05a.html

Way to go! http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...m/thumbsup.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...m/thumbsup.gif http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttr...m/thumbsup.gif

Awesome. Saw a clip about her competition on CNN yesterday.

A six footer! HUGE! People don't appreciate how huge and powerful a six-foot wave is.