KAILUA-KONA — A 75-year-old man survived an apparent shark attack Tuesday morning while paddling an outrigger canoe in the waters between Anaehoomalu Bay and Kiholo Bay.
The attack was first reported in a state Department of Land and Natural Resources press release, though further details were provided by Ed Texeira, head coach at the Waikoloa Canoe Club. Texeira confirmed the victim is a member of the club, but declined to provide a name before receiving consent.
DLNR’s report had the victim paddling with three other men, but Texeira said it was actually two. The victim and both his companions are experienced paddlers, Texeira said. The victim also is an experienced diver.
Texeira thinks the victim’s familiarity with the water was crucial to his survival. As Texeira told it, the man was trailing his two fellow paddlers when he felt a bump. Thinking he hit a rock, the victim turned and saw the shark. The shark attacked the canoe, knocking the man into the water.
“He was audacious and, I think, smart enough to strike at the shark with his paddle (and scare it away),” Texeira said.
The victim sustained what Texeira guessed to be a 6-inch laceration to the leg above the calf from the reported encounter. The canoe also suffered damage.
According to the DLNR release, the victim couldn’t identify the type of shark that attacked him, but guessed it was roughly the same length as his 12-foot, one-person canoe.
Helped in by his companions, the victim met other recreational paddlers returning from another excursion. One of the paddlers was a doctor, Texeira said.
The doctor examined the wound on the beach then opted to drive the victim to North Hawaii Community Hospital in Waimea, rather than wait for an ambulance, after determining the victim was OK to make the trip, Texeira said. Someone from the club still called the Hawaii Fire Department to file an official report of the incident.
The victim was treated at the NHCH emergency room. Texeira said he has since been released and is resting at home with his wife.
The Fire Department scanned the area of the reported attack from a helicopter but saw no sign of sharks, according to the release.
The DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources said the Fire Department will conduct a second fly-over today “… to ensure sharks have not moved into more heavily used areas.”
No warning signs have been posted, the release continued, as the area near the waters where the apparent attack took place is rugged and remote, not heavily trafficked and includes a 2-mile hike to reach the shoreline.
