tragedy in Kahana
 

Hi, on Fox News Page just read about the terrible tragedy this morning in Kahana. I would like to know where Kahana is located. How sad this is, someone was just doing something that he enjoyed.

HONOLULU ? A surfer was killed Wednesday morning in a shark attack off Maui (search), the first confirmed fatal attack in Hawaii in nearly 12 years, police said.

How sad!!! A little scary too>

truly raises a red flag. my son surfs the oahu island regularly. he is to go to maui this week end. i have to get in touch with him and see what the new event brings to the surfing world.
as always it takes you back some when this happens. very sad indeed, at 67 years old he was.

One of the Honolulu papers has a report online:
http://starbulletin.com/breaking/breaking.php?id=2511

Kahana is in West Maui, about three miles north of Kaanapali Beach. The attack occured in front of the Noelani condominiums. The victim was a local Kahana resident.

Is anyone on this thread from the Maui area? I have a friend that lived on the Big Island for a few years and he told me that locals know the areas that generally have more shark activity than other areas.

I feel so sad for this man and his family. I also feel worried because I am going to Maui next month and I am going to be staying at the Noelani. I was looking forward to hopping into the ocean each morning before heading out for the day. Does anyone know if this area is common for sharks? I am thinking of switching condos

Thanks,
CJ

Noelani's great, have stayed there twice but never really thought of it as a place to swim from. There's a micro beach next door (too near the road) & locals swim from the little park next to that, but I wouldn't, too rocky. Kahakili Beach park is just a couple of miles south; Napili is north but it's difficult to find parking there.

pspercy,
Thanks for the info. I thought that the Noelani was next to a sandy swimming cove. I thought that would be where I'd swim in the mornings. I would like to stay somewhere where I can go out and swim. Do you have any suggestions of places on swimming beaches that are affordable? Maybe another small complex?

Thanks,
CJ

Reply to Nancy03,
An unconfirmed shark attack & fatality off Maui was claimed to have occurred in 1999, as referenced in yesterday's CNN report:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/US/West/04/0....ap/index.html

<i>I thought that the Noelani was next to a sandy swimming cove. </i>
Yes they like you to think that ! It's tiny. Don't get me wrong, people swim &amp; snorkle etc but it's not my idea of a beach. I like staying there, cost is reasonable, nice staff and great setting. Nearest beach probably around Sands of Kahana about half a mile north or, better still, Napili Bay. You can see aerial photos at:
http://www.wizardpub.com/maui/mauaerials.html

The cove doesn't sound like the best for my morning dip. Also, was it off the cove that the shark attack occured? Is this where S-Turns is?

About the attack in 1999. Many people are skeptical about this attack. A body was never found and many don't believe the guys story. He was newly married and says his wife was attacked by the shark but some people think he killed her. That is why that report always says &quot;unconfirmed&quot;.

the attack was 300 yards out - that's 900 feet, that said you should never swim in murky water or river mouths - a terrible tragedy

I am not familiar with shark patterns in Hawaii, but I grew up on the California coast which also sees an occasional shark attack. I just wanted to make a couple comments regarding the fears of swimmers.

Sharks don't care for the taste of people, so they generally avoid them. This is why with most shark attacks, the people are not actually eaten. They are bitten and then spit out by the shark. If the bite injuries are not too bad and the person can get medical help in time, people can survive shark attacks. The problem is that sharks don't have the best eye sight and from under the water, the outline of a surfer looks suspiciously like that of a sea lion, which the sharks like to eat. People swimming closer to the shore look like people so the sharks generally stay away. So basically, if you are near the shore and not in an area with animals that sharks like to eat, you shouldn't have any problems.

J Correa,

Are you saying that snorkeling in areas with turtles and dolphins is a bad idea?

CJ

I have heard that swimming with turtles is not a good idea because sharks like (to eat) turtles, but if you do happen to swim with a turtle, try to swim along side them and not behind them or you'll spook 'em, also there may be a fine if you're caught too close or touching them.$)

Dolphins and sharks don't get along, so you're safer swimming with dolphins, but snorkel/whalewatch boats steer clear of putting you in the water with them, possibly a fine there too? :?

If the dolphins are giving birth I think the sharks come around. There was a dolphin tour guide that got attacked on Oahu recently.

J Correa:

You could also make an arguement that the high survival rate of shark attacks is not due to the fact that sharks don't like the taste of people but rather the attacks happen relatively close to shore where medical treatment is available. Sharks like other predators, want maximum results with minimum risk. Go in, take a bite, step back and let 'em bleed out. No risk. The fact that humans are not regularly on the sharks food chain is due to the fact that swimming in the ocean has only been popular with humans for a mere 100 years or so. Just a mere tick on the clock in terms of evolution.

In California most shark attacks are caused by Great Whites, in Hawaii it's usually Tiger sharks. From what I've heard Tiger sharks are more agressive than Whites. Great Whites tend to bite once and let go. Tigers tend to bite multiple times so people bleed to death quicker.
Most surfers know not to surf close to a sea lion or elephant seal colony, you really don't want to get confused w/ their natural prey.
Also you want to avoid being in the water in the early morning or around dusk because that is when sharks tend to feed.

Voltare - You could be right. I'm just going by what I've learned through books and documentaries. Accepted scientific theories about animal behavior have been proven wrong in the past.

I took a class with my daughter at the aquarium and they said sharks don't like how we taste.

They also think a missing young surfer girl last week might have been eaten by a shark on Oahu. They just found her board and torn leash.

Vacationbound:
If it's really important to you to be able to wake up and jump in the ocean, you may want to switch to a condo on Napili beach. It will be more expensive than Noelani. I have stayed at Napili Sunset - not fancy at all, but right on a very nice beach. The 1 and 2 bdrms are on the beach, the studios are not. There are several other condos on the beach there, too. At Noelani, though, you can still jump into the pool that is oceanfront for a refreshing dip in the morning. I concur, though, that I would not swim at that tiny cove next door to the Noelani.

I have a condo on Kaanapali Beach and over the years have been on Maui when shark attacks occur. In EVERY instance at least one if not several of the precautions outlined in the State of Hawaii brochures was ignored. Murky water, near a stream, dawn, etc. Nevertheless it still is a tragedy. I would not alter my accomodations on Maui but I would follow the guidelines. Aloha.

JeffKaanapali, can you rpovide the full guideleines or advise where they may be found. Thnaks.

http://www.hawaii.rr.com/leisure/rev...12_sattack.htm

or
http://www.sailhawaii.com/sharks.htm

Rusty Do a google search on Hawaii shark task force and it will give you the list of ten precautions.

Thanks so much for all of the great tips and information. Also, for that great web cam on Napili Bay. I've decided to make the tough decision of switching places to stay. The Noelani looks so wonderful and the people there were just great on the phone. After all the great things I've heard about it I'd recommend it to anyone who doesn't need a swimming beach outside their front door. I'm not one of those people though so I will be staying at Napili Bay. Thanks again everyone!

Do sharks have &quot;taste&quot;. I know they they have sophisticated senses, but wouldn't a mammal be a mammal?
Buuurrrpp.

Reply to logandog,
Agree that &quot;sharks don't attack people because they don't like how people taste&quot; proposition is a little hard to swallow.

If only a few people (~100) are attacked/year and there are zillions of sharks, how do the ones that don't bite us know humans don't taste good:?
Or did they find out on the Fodor's shark forum:o) thread((?))

For what it's worth, the 3 popular Kama'ole beach parks were closed today due to a shark sighting.

The beaches were closed just for a short while, and they reopened at 11am. A shark may or may not have been sighted near Cove Park, according to the lifeguard at Kam III.

I noticed Waldens had a book about survival stories in Hawaii. Sounds like a good read for cautious people. Forgetting the name... Hidden Perils or something.....

Here's the book-

Perils of Paradise
Author: Rita Beamish Product Code: 1689 ISBN: 1-57306-168-9
Publisher: Bess Press
Availability: In stock.
Price: $11.95

Perils of Paradise is a collection of stories about people who have encountered nature's fury and survived. Whether by skill, luck or just plain grit, they cheated nature and the powerful forces that might have defeated them. Interviews with survivors and their rescuers reveal the skills and determination of people who fought nature and won.

Wow, I'll have to order that book. 2 other Hawaii books I'd recommend are
&quot;Eddie would go&quot; by Stuart Holmes Coleman. Excellent read about a famous Hawaiian surfer. The other book is &quot;Shark Bites&quot;, can't remember who wrote it but it's mainly about attacks that have ocurred in Hawaii. I liked this book because its focus wasn't so much on the gore of the attack but rather how the survivors &lt;and they all survived&gt; coped with the aftermath of the attack.

There was an attack by a suspected tiger shark last year at Cove Park (just north of Kam I in Kihei). As I recall, the swimmer was 100 yards offshore in murky water. The authors of Maui Revealed attribute the murkiness to a discharge ditch running through Kalama Park. Still, the chance of being attacked is infinitesimal. And, further south, the water is typically sparklingly clear.