Shark sightings on the rise in waters near Oahu

By Eric Naktin

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    HONOLULU (KITV) — There were two shark sightings Tuesday off Waikiki, one was near the Moana Surfrider Hotel, while the other was close to the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

“Sharks are always there, you might not see them, but they see you.” said Dr. Andrew Rossiter, Director of the Waikiki Aquarium.

It’s widely advised not to swim near river mouths especially if it’s been raining because everything that’s been carried in washes out to the ocean. It generates cloudy waters and possible food that sharks are drawn to and they could potentially bite someone, but it still remains extremely rare according to local experts.

“The gray ones, or the white tips, are called white tip reef sharks. They’re very abundant round here, you can see them throughout Waikiki – not dangerous unless provoked. It used to be thought that if you stay within chest height in the water you’re safe, but we know that’s not true. Sharks are in very very shallow water,” Rossiter said.

Whether it’s a busy beach or a vacant beach, it can be difficult to predict shark activity and considered completely random.

“At Sans Souci Beach, a gentleman was surfing there, off shore about 150 yards when a Tiger Shark actually bit his board,” Rossiter said.

Fortunately the surfer was uninjured. Some experts believe hydrofoils capture the most attention from a shark because of the pulse and noise they generate.

Possible attacks can occur in many locations. Juliun Perkins was attacked by a shark a few years ago in the Pounders Beach area in Laie and has recovered.

Perkins told Island News, “I was sitting on my surfboard and a shark came up on my right hand side, got my arm and a series of events happened but thankfully there were people there that were able to rescue me, it could have been due to the weather, it was also pretty early morning.”

There are helpful tips to keep in mind.

“There are a whole array of sense organs, and that disorients sharks, if you God forbid to get bitten and you have one arm free, try to hit it in the eye, or put your hand in its gill slits, pull it there, apparently that’s very painful for the shark,” Rossiter said.

Maui reportedly tends go get the most attacks in Hawaii while Oahu has the most sightings.

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