"sharks can bite hard" - Second shark attack in four days

[SEA]

This is from Evan Leong of "stand up paddle surf .net He was reviewing the SIC standamaran
the newest version and this was his review of day 8 on the board  while doing a Hawaii Kai run ... notice he writes in plural "shark's " !!!  not a shark . This post was from a few days ago

It's challenging and exciting. I was getting to Black Point and the water was reflecting off the cliff and creating large backwash. The downhill skiing effect was in full force and I was actually catching some pretty large bumps. Then off to the left of me, just back about 20 feet I thought I saw some turtles. I thought to myself, "Those are big turtles." Then I realized they weren't turtles. They were 12-15′ sharks following me!

here is the article :

http://www.standuppaddlesurf.net/2013/08/06/sic-standamaran-race-sup-after-3-years-its-finally-here/

[Bean]

Although im sure they are still considered endangered  it sure does not appear that way when paddling off shore.

Apparently they are not on the endangered list anymore but still protected under the MMPA.  Good thing I was paying attention to our guide on the way to Molokini.

[punasurf]

On the news tonight they said this latest attack was number 7 for the year.  But losing and arm is super brutal.  Most are just bite and release.

[Southbay]

Another one this weekend.  16 year old surfer on Big Island.  http://bigislandnow.com/2013/08/18/16-year-old-attacked-by-shark-at-pohoiki/
Not cool.

BTW, did a Maliko run yesterday and decided to count the Turtles....8, and that is just what was directly in front of me.

Southbay

[SUP-poser]

Avoiding areas with turtles doesn't seem to be an option here anymore, there are many at the places I've been paddling (Honoli'i, Kawaihae). I don't know if I should think it's comforting or alarming for those of us in the water with them. I've never seen a seal though. The attacks on humans here seem to be reaching an unprecedented level, I tend to attribute this to the number of people in the water more than anything else. So far I'm unaware of any attacks on sup-pers. Perhaps the larger SUB's seem less like familiar prey or more challenging for hungry sharks? I can comfortably rest on my 10'0 in a half-lotus and will admit to doing so when my paranoia becomes a bit difficult to deny while I'm off my feet. As many assert, short board prone-paddlers would seem to more closely resemble the usual Kaukau for these guys.

[SUP-poser]

Just heard on KHPR that the 20 year-old German girl didn't make it. Truly sad for such a terrible end to visit a youngster this way.

[PonoBill]

I was at Thousand Peaks a couple of years ago when a snack-sized turtle suddenly exploded vertically in the air and sailed about ten or so feet high. Came back down to a lot of splashing. A girl in the lineup said "I didn't know they could do that!"

[headmount]

Spoke to a close friend who told me that the crane operator in Kahului Harbor saw two big ones following the herd of paddlers in from the Imua race a few months back.  PBill was still here and I'm dead sure they were following him.

The southshore has always had more incidences than the north shore.  Even though that crane operator saw quite a few of them and my pilot pals have seen them on the north shore and even with an untold amount of water sports activity from Maliko to the Harbor, there still has been no attacks in that particular stretch since the French windsurfer got bit almost a mile out in 1994.  Before that 1986 and before that 1974 both at Hookipa and both black tips.

These recent attacks on the southshore that just happened to coincide with the media sharkweek, have whipped people into a frenzy.  Nothing different has occurred.  Yes maybe there are more turtles but these attacks are random... like car accidents.  Making it seem like this is something new just feeds peoples ego to think they're seeing some abrupt change in the cosmos.  It's the same old ocean, same old story.  If you had as many people in the water in the ocean off Oregon as Maui, you'd see some real numbers.

Have to confess that I did let all this frenzy affect me.  Just popped the wires off my rudder turnstyle  two days after the attack, doing a southshore run in spectacular conditions.  Probably could've gotten in the water and did what I've seen PBill do a few times to fix his rudder in a straight position... he's fearless.  But instead I just knee paddled to the beach with a hard left turn built in, a real pain in the ass, rather than get into the water.  I could just hear him telling me, all the way from HR, "You pussy."

[headmount]

Oh and I'm not counting attacks on boards, just flesh.

[paidmydues]

 Bill,you forgot the teenager that was boogie boarding ouside Kahului  harbor about 4 years ago(maybe 3),got bit on the leg.I think it was the same shark I saw a few days earlier at Pier One,I just  saw the dorsal but it was BIG.And stupid me,kept on surfing ,the waves were so good.Didn't tell my friend either,he would have gone in and left me by myself.(He wasn't too happy when I told him after the session.)The next day,someone I know was on  SUP with his son,the big guy came and banged him.That same week,my friend was on his kayak there,wanted to dive,but the big guy banged his kayak all the way in to shore.I haven't surfed there since.That's the same reef that Dave P. got his  SUP board chewed on,at Boneyards.

[covesurfer]

I believe HM's analysis - it's random and there have been some clusters that change our perceptions. It's spooky all the same when it's on your mind. My addiction to the ocean and downwinding will override my fears when I get back to Maui next week. I'm already salivating over both the southside and Maliko runs even while I'm a bit sketched about Mr. Greysuit.

It would not surprise me if a group of sharks was following PB, but they were probably too big of pussies to bite him.