INTERVIEW: Shark Attack “SUPer” Avoids Injury

County ocean safety officer ans DLNR were on scene following the incident to interview the paddle-boarder, who witnesses identified as Dave Peterson. Photo by Deb Lynch.

By  Wendy Osher

Maui stand-up paddle-boarder, Dave Peterson said he fells lucky to be alive after a close encounter with an 8 to 9-foot shark at a surf break known as “Boneyard” near Kanaha in Central Maui this morning.

“I was standing outside waiting for a wave and something came up and knocked me off my board. I fell down and landed on the shark and it was biting my board,” said Peterson, who is an avid ocean-goer.

Peterson owns his own business, Maui Dawn Patrol at the Pauwela Cannery, where he shapes surfboards and stand-up paddle-boards for fellow ocean aficionados. He described the incident during a phone interview this morning.

“It wasn’t letting go of my board, so I grabbed my paddle and I started beating it over the head with the paddle, and it let go.  It swam by me and I had to push it away, and then it swam off,” said Peterson.

Photo by Deb Lynch.

This was the first time in 40 years that anything like this has ever happened to him, said Peterson.  “I’ve seen them up towards Ho’okipa, but I’ve never seen one in that area, but I know they’re there,” he said.

“It was normal conditions.  There was no wind.  There was a good swell.  The water was fairly clear. I was kind-of surprised, you know,” said Peterson of the incident, which was reported between 7:50 and 8:15 a.m.

“I feel lucky,” said Peterson, who chuckled at the reference of being referred to as a SUPer as opposed to “s-u-p-p-e-r.”

“I feel bad for my friends who were out there surfing because after I told the lifeguards, they had to close the beach, and the waves were really good,” he said.