Surfer suffers minor scrapes in apparent shark encounter at Tavares Bay in Pāʻia, Maui

Shark warning signs are up from Hoʻokipa to Baldwin Beach Park after a 45-year-old Haʻikū woman sustained minor scrapes in an apparent encounter with a shark at around 1 p.m. on Monday. 

The woman reported to authorities that while she was surfing a shark she described as a 10-12-foot-long Galapagos shark bit her board and launched her into the air. She landed on the shark which then bit through her board leash, according to an account detailed by the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. Officials say she was able to get back onto her board and swim to shore without further incident.  

The incident reportedly happened in three to four feet of water, with limited clarity due to high surf.

Maui Fire Department Ocean Safety Division, Maui Police, and officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement worked together to place warning signs on shore. Under established protocols, beaches one mile on either side of Tavares Bay where the incident occurred, are under warning until noon on Tuesday, Oct. 3. At that time, if there are no signs of shark presence the signs will be removed, and people can go back into the water. 

Lifeguards and DOCARE officers will survey the area this morning.