Department of Land and Natural Resources

UPDATE 

NON-LIFE THREATING APPARENT SHARK INCIDENT ON HAWAI‘I ISLAND 

(HONOLULU) – Emergency medical crews, officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) and personnel from the DLNR Division of Aquatic Resources responded to a report of a non-fatal shark incident near the Kukio Resort Club House on Hawai‘i Island. 

Around 8:50 this morning an ocean excursion tour group of 17 people (eight on stand-up paddle boards, six in canoes, two swimming) were in the ocean, when a jet ski operator told everyone a 10-foot Tiger shark was in the area. Initial reports indicate, one of the two women swimming  apparently encountered a shark. This was about 200 yards offshore. She was transported to the North Hawai‘i Medical Center for treatment. 

Standard shark incident protocols, detailed in the video below, call for shark warning signs to be posted for one mile in either direction from the incident. Additionally, public shoreline access at Kehakai State Park/Kua Bay and from Kukio, Four Seasons, and Hualalai resorts are closed today. 

# # #