HONOKOHAU HARBOR — A search for dolphins earned Robert F. Ford a shark bite on the back of his paddleboard Tuesday morning — an encounter which prompted the closure of Laaloa and Kahaluu beach parks in Kailua-Kona.
Ford, 71, headed out Tuesday morning to where “hundreds of dolphins” were seen offshore of Laaloa. The dolphins had moved on, but he did see some whales dive, so he waited for them to breach.
To the south, he saw the whales reach the surface, their arrival marked by waterspouts. Kneeling on the white, blue and black board, he turned to follow them.
About a quarter mile offshore, a massive force struck the rear of the board with a sound he found indescribable.
“What you do call that sound?” he asked. “A bam, a pow, a boom?”
A shark had taken a bite on the rear of his board, the force of which caused him to lurch forward. But the paddler was able to remain on his board. He said he looked and saw a “big gray fin” off his left side.
Shocked, he began shouting and trying to fend off the shark with his paddle.
“I think I was yelling, ‘Go away,’ like it’d understand me,” he said.
Ford doesn’t think any of his thrusts with the paddle even reached the shark. Apparently unconcerned, the shark moved to the right side of the 11-foot board. Ford estimated the shark was about nine feet long. Still kneeling on the board, he tried repeatedly to hit the animal.
Then the shark turned and swam off. Not missing a chance, Ford headed to shore as fast as he could.
“I could make the University of Washington (rowing) crew look like they’re standing still,” he said.
When he got ashore, Ford had the chance to inspect the damage. Tooth marks ran through the paint on the board’s rear, in places cracking through to the fiberglass body. The underside had the clear imprint of six of the shark’s right teeth, while the left side of the board was marked with scars on the paint.
When Ford reported the incident several hours later, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Hawaii County Fire Department closed the beaches around 1 p.m. The parking lot was still full and people were standing at the waterline and snapping selfies Tuesday afternoon, waiting for the beach to reopen. There was a warning sign saying “Shark sighted, keep out.”
It was not immediately clear why Ford did not report the encounter to officials as soon as he reached shore.
“In the event something like that happens, promptly notify water safety officers in the area and call 911,” said Battalion Chief Joseph Farias.
A fire department helicopter flew the shoreline but did not spot the shark, Farias said. Another flight will be held this morning before a decision is made on whether to reopen the beaches.
“The shark involved displayed aggressive behavior, and we didn’t want to take chances with public safety,” Farias said.
This is the fourth bite reported to the DLNR around the Big Island this year.
The state has seen eight bites statewide this year, according to the Department of Aquatic Resources. One incident was fatal — an attack on a snorkeler on April 29 off Kanahena Point on Maui.
The state identifies five of the attackers as tiger sharks, one as a reef shark and two more are unknown.
It’s not clear what species took the bite, but Ford has his suspicions.
It was probably a “young, dumb … tiger who’s not sure what he’s supposed to attack or not,” Ford said.
Reporter Bret Yager contributed to this article.
