HONOLULU (AP) — A shark sighting off the Maui coast caused several beaches to close on Thanksgiving morning.
The Maui County Department of Fire and Public Safety told The Honolulu Star-Advertiser (http://bit.ly/2gHhrGy ) that stand-up paddleboarders said they saw five hammerhead sharks circle their boards and then swim off. They were in water 10 feet deep and described the sharks as about six feet long.
Lifeguards closed the beach late Thursday morning and cleared the ocean of swimmers at Kamaole Beach I, II and III and at Cove Park. The beaches reopened after about two hours when no more sharks were seen.
There have been several shark attacks in the area this year. A 58-year-old Kihei woman was attacked on Nov. 14 while about 40 yards offshore at Kamaole Beach Park 1. A surfer was attacked off Hookipa Beach Park on Oct. 21, and a female snorkeler was bitten on her leg a week earlier in the waters north of the Kamaole beaches.
Earlier this year, a stand-up paddler’s board was bitten in Paia, a man was attacked while floating off Wailea beach, a snorkeler suffered minor injuries off Olowalu and another paddleboard was bitten off Wailea.