DLNR NEWS RELEASE: Kauai surfer injured in early morning shark incident
Posted on Jun 15, 2016 in Latest Department NewsMan Reports 3-4 Foot Shark
(Līhu‘e) – A two mile stretch of Kalapakī Beach on Kauai’s southeastern shore has shark warning signs up today, after a surfer reports being bitten by a three- to four-foot shark this morning. The surfer drove himself to the hospital, was treated and released.
Kalapakī Beach, which fronts the Marriott Hotel in Līhu‘e is not a lifeguard protected beach, so officers from the DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) are posting signs to warn other ocean users about this incident and asking that they stay out of the water at least until noon tomorrow. This is standard protocol established between the state and all counties.
The surfer reports he was paddling out at about 6 a.m. when the shark bit him in the arm, 25-30 yards off shore. He suffered a single puncture wound.
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