The victim, reported to be a 32-year-old resident of West Hollywood, told state conservation enforcement officers he had been floating on his back about 30 feet off Wailea Beach when he felt something strike his leg. As he turned to see what had hit him, he saw what he described as a gray shark that he could not otherwise identify, Maui District enforcement chief Randy Awo said.
At Wailea Beach, officers with the state Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement posted “Shark Sighted” signs and patrolled the beach by all-terrain vehicle. Maui County lifeguards, who were called from the Kamaole beaches, warned people to stay out of the water, while two lifeguards on personal watercraft scanned the ocean for the shark.
At Maui Memorial Medical Center, a hospital official said a shark-bite victim was taken to the emergency room for examination and treatment.
The ocean at the time of the incident was murky and choppy with windy conditions. Surf around the island was reported to be small, in the 2- to 3-foot range, but trade winds were gusting up to 33 mph Monday afternoon in Kahului and on Kahoolawe, according to the National Weather Service.