Kristine Allen: Hawaii shark attack victim, 60, revealed she wanted to learn surfing days before tragic death
BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON: Just days before tragedy struck, the woman who vanished while snorkeling with her husband in Hawaii in early December 2022 had written about "chasing" her dreams. Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources later determined that she was a shark attack victim. Multiple reports have now identified her as Kristine Allen, 60, a massage therapist and life coach from Bellingham. Kristine vanished on December 8, 2022, while snorkeling at a south Maui beach while a 'giant shark' was seen cruising the waters off Keawakapu Point, according to her husband Blake Allen.
Kristine's family and friends mourn her as a "bright light, a nurturing and giving healer and true friend to so many". The US Coast Guard, the Maui Fire Department, and ocean rescue teams conducted a 40-hour air and sea search that was discontinued on December 9. the Coast Guard tweeted and announced that it was a possible "shark-human encounter.” Her husband reported to the coast guard that he saw an aggressive shark circling him with blooded gills 50 meters offshore as they went snorkeling.
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In her final Facebook post on December 2, Kristine described her desire to learn surfing and it was possibly the first thing she had been learning to do in Hawaii. "Following Dreams! I have wanted to learn to surf for years," her post begins. "I am committed to creating a life I love in big and small ways. How about you? I absolutely love supporting you in creating a life you love too. I have used surfing metaphors for years. Work to get on the wave then ride the wave. Don’t overwork and use the universal force like a wave to carry you to your dreams? But I had never surfed," the post read.
"Now that I have, the metaphors hold an even deeper felt sense. You paddle, paddle, paddle then pop up. Ride the wave (hopefully) or fall off then paddle back for the next wave. Much like creating. The fun is in creating. Our dreams give us the motivation to keep getting back up to catch the next one even if we got tumbled. Thank you Kainalu from Maui Surf and SUP! You are the best! We loved our lesson and the joy of riding the surfing."
One of her colleagues while paying tribute to her shared, "Kristine lived with a joy and determination to squeeze absolutely every happiness she could from each moment! She created a safe space for others to be themselves and to build a life they love, it was her passion and her purpose."
One wrote, "She was such a gift. My life was blessed and forever changed by the service she and Blake gave during a breathwork retreat I attended. I was loved and nurtured during a time I desperately needed it. My heart and prayers are with her family and those who are grieving this incredible loss."
A report from the investigating officer of the department's Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) found that based on the evidence, the "tragic accident" was classified as "shark attack-fatal." Meanwhile, the Maui Police Department's report classified her disappearance as a "miscellaneous accident-fatal," reported PEOPLE. A memorial is planned in the future in Bellingham, according to her husband, as per The Spokesman.