David Y. Ige

HOOKIPA, MAUI –   Shortly after 5 p.m. today Maui Police Department notified DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement (DOCARE) of a shark bite at Hookipa beach park.  The male victim was surfing at a point at Hookipa.

The Maui resident  was  transported by emergency personnel to the hospital with injuries to his left arm and left leg.  Witnesses reported seeing a five-foot shark, which appeared to be a reef shark.

DLNR officers are responding to the scene to notify ocean users from Mama’s Fish House to Maliko Bay to clear the water.  Shark warning signs are being posted along a two-mile stretch in that area.

Tomorrow morning officers will return to the beach areas and keep them closed until noon, pending assessment of nearshore waters with Maui County lifeguards.

Ocean conditions were windy, choppy and murky this afternoon.

No further details were available.