Waikiki Beach reopened after no new shark sightings

Advertiser Staff

A stretch of Waikiki Beach reopened yesterday after police and lifeguards reported no new shark sightings.

Mayor Jeremy Harris yesterday said that he was not involved in the decision to close part of the beach Wednesday but understands the decision to be cautious in light of the increased sensitivity because of shark attacks around the Mainland this summer.

"I have to say, as a marine biologist, there's really no alarm," Harris said. "Reef sharks are out there all the time. You have a far greater chance of getting hit by lightning than you do dying from a shark bite."

Officials warned swimmers to get out of the water Wednesday afternoon after three sharks were seen less than 100 yards offshore.

Police received a call about 5:45 p.m. from a Hyatt Regency Hotel employee who saw the sharks just off Kuhio Beach. Police confirmed the sighting, and swimmers from the Sheraton Moana Surfrider Hotel to the Kapahulu groin were asked to leave the water, said police Sgt. Richard Robinson.

Hundreds of tourists lined the beach as a fire department helicopter tracked a 7-foot shark about 75 yards off shore. Two smaller sharks, possibly black-tip reef sharks, swam away soon after the beach was closed, said fire battalion chief Adam Enos.

Harris said media attention on the recent shark attacks off Florida and the southeastern United States has made people wary. But he said Hawai'i reef sharks are unlikely to endanger swimmers. "The reality is that people don't have to worry about being eaten by sharks. It is such a rare event. We are not on the menu of a shark," he said.

In 99 percent of cases, Harris said sharks attack when they mistake people for turtles or seals. "I swim with them all the time, I get right up to them. There really is nothing to worry about," he said.

But Harris said lifeguards responded appropriately by handling the shark sighting in a calm, measured way. "If one person sees a shark, you don't want a panic situation in the water where people actually drown trying to get out of the water," he said.