KAILUA-KONA — A shark attack at Kukio Bay over the weekend has nearby residents shocked, scared and confused.
“The local community is buzzing about this,” said North Kona resident Dr. Michael Domeier, who lives 5 miles from Kukio Golf and Beach Club. “There so few details it’s hard to dig into this.”
Domeier, president of Marine Conservation Science Institute, said many rumors have been flying around about Saturday’s incident — who was there, who all responded and who all was attacked.
What has been officially confirmed is Hawaii Fire Department received reports of a man bitten by a shark at Kukio Bay about 11 a.m. on Saturday.
Emergency responders say the 25-year-old man was paddleboarding with his father about 100-150 yards offshore at the time the encountered occurred, according to Hawaii Fire officials. Members of the outdoor pursuits staff from the Kukio Community Association responded to the attack by taking a four-person canoe out, recovering the man and bringing him back to shore.
The victim was taken to North Community Hospital then flown to Queen’s Medical Center. Authorities reported that the victim suffered multiple injuries to his hand and leg. On Saturday, it was reported he was in critical condition. As of Monday evening, hospital officials had not provided a condition update.
“Everyone just gets horrified that something like this could happen,” Domeier said. “I remind them that the number of car accidents on the road is horrifying and more frequent.”
Kukio Bay is a public beach to which access is gained through the private and gated communities and resorts of Kukio and Four Seasons Resort Hualalai. The spokeswoman for Hualalai confirmed the victim was not a guest or resident of the Hualalai area.
The spokesman for Kukio was unavailable for comment regarding whether or not the man was a resident of the community or a guest.
The DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources was also notified of the incident on Saturday. Dan Dennison, spokesman for DLNR, said the state agency took an initial report. Per standard procedure, beach closure signs to warn oceangoers up to a mile on either side of the incident location were posted.
The beach closure signs were also posted at Kua Bay because of its distance from Kukio.
The signs remained up until noon the next day.
On Sunday, according to Hawaii Fire officials, they did a flyover from Kukio Bay up to Kawaihae to check if the shark had left the area or if there were others.
Authorities say the only shark spotted that day was a tiger shark in Kawaihae, which is not uncommon since they frequent that area.
According to DLNRDAR website, the last reported shark incident on the Big Island was in November of 2015. The encounter involved a swimmer at Kehena Beach in Puna 100-150 yards offshore.
The victim suffered lacerations to the right foot, according to the website. The species and size of the shark were unknown.
The species and size of shark in Saturday’s attack are also unknown. However, Domeier said, the islands are known to be frequent feeding and breeding grounds for tiger sharks, which can be aggressive.
Domeier added tiger sharks are scavengers by nature.
“A paddleboard looks like a floating dead whale or monk seal so sharks are gonna check it out,” Domeier said. “Sharks don’t intentionally eat people. It’s always mistaken identity.”
Domeier explained that sometimes the way people move in the water stimulates the animals, causing a predatory response.
“Everyone needs to be aware. They’re here year-round,” he said of sharks. When you get in the water, there’s always a small risk you’re going to encounter a shark.”
According to the Marine Conservation Science Institute website, Domeier is renowned for his work with pelagic fishes (particularly billfish), white sharks, California coastal fishes and coral reef fishes.
The institute is a nonprofit organization focused on research on how to manage marine resources.