Tiger shark chomps down on surfer's leg in third such attack in Hawaii in 2023
HONOLULU, HAWAII: A surfer was reportedly left in critical condition after being bitten in the leg by a monster tiger shark Sunday morning, April 9, off the coast of Honolulu, Hawaii. The Honolulu Emergency Medical Services revealed that the 58-year-old man was attacked shortly before 7 am near the Kewalo Basin.
Emergency responders "administered life-saving treatment to a patient who was surfing and suffered shark bite to the right leg," the EMS said in a statement, although they did not identify the victim by name. It's worth noting that this was the fourth shark incident reported this year in Hawaii and the third in which someone was bitten, per an incident list maintained by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR).
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Sunday morning attack
"Honolulu Ocean Safety will continue to patrol the waters off of Kewalo Basin and Ala Moana after this morning´s shark bite. Lifeguards posted signs in the area," EMS spokesperson Shayne Enright said in an emailed statement to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.
MEAWW previously reported how an Australian woman narrowly escaped death after a monster six-meter shark bit through her surf ski and pushed her into the ocean. The unprovoked attack was reported on Thursday, March 16 at Cheynes Beach in Albany, Western Australia. Despite the harrowing attack about 100 meters from the shore, the woman miraculously escaped unharmed.
In an effort to identify the species of shark responsible for the attack, authorities conducted DNA testing on the woman's ski. Paul Armstrong, an Albany local who witnessed the event, told Perth Live there were big wide teeth marks on the ski. "She is terrified," Armstrong said. “The teeth marks on that… surf ski [are] quite big...there were around 1200-1500 teeth marks on the surfboard...quite wide...probably over 12 inches. The teeth marks went from one side to the other."
Too close for comfort!!
— Perth LIVE with Oliver Peterson (@PerthLive6PR) March 16, 2023
Cheynes Beach in Albany remains closed after a large shark attacked a surf ski, knocking the female paddler into the water. pic.twitter.com/pYaZ32ZaYX
'Unprovoked bites' is when a human is bitten in the shark's natural habitat without any provocation towards the shark, while 'provoked bites' take place when a human initiates interaction with a shark in some way, per the International Shark Attack File (ISAF) at the University of Florida. With the state of Florida in the lead with 16 incidents, the US reported the most number of 'unprovoked bites' by sharks in the world last year. Of the total 41 US cases, only one ended in death, in Hawaii. The state of Hawaii accounted for five unprovoked attacks last year, per the file.
Increasing 'unprovoked' attacks
While the 41 unprovoked shark bites in 2022 are lower than the 47 incidents that occurred in the US in 2021, it represents 72% of the worldwide total, which is an increase from 2021 when 64% of the worldwide unprovoked bites occurred in the U.S. Unprovoked bites by state were New York (8), California (4), South Carolina (4), Hawaii (5), North Carolina (2), and single incidents in both Texas and Alabama. Meanwhile, Florida's Volusia County had the most shark bites (7), representing 44% of the state’s total, the Daily Mail reported.
That said, surfers and others participating in board sports accounted for only 35% of the total cases, while swimmers and waders accounted for the majority of incidents at 43%. You can refer to resources offered by ISAF to reduce your risk of a shark bite as well as instructions for what to do if you encounter a shark.