Permanent shark warning up in Olowalu
By Christie Wilson
Advertiser Staff Writer
OLOWALU, Maui — New state signs at a popular Maui snorkeling area say: "Warning: Sharks may be present. Shark bites have occurred in this area."
Department of Land and Natural Resources
They are the first permanent signs in Hawai'i warning people against sharks. The Department of Land and Natural Resources posted them yesterday along a stretch of Honoapi'ilani Highway.
Acting with "an abundance of caution," the state posted signs on Honoapi'ilani Highway and at Olowalu Landing to warn of shark hazards.
There have been three shark attacks in the Olowalu area in the past 11 years, one of them fatal. The most recent attack occurred New Year's Day, when a Los Angeles man was bitten on the buttocks while snorkeling about 100 yards offshore.
On Oct. 18, 2000, a California woman survived bites to her upper and lower back when she was snorkeling a half-mile offshore. The fatal attack occurred Nov. 26, 1991, when a tiger shark mauled a Maui woman who was swimming in front of her oceanfront home.
Gil Coloma-Agaran, director of the land department, issued a statement saying: "We have taken this measure out of an abundance of caution. We want people, especially visitors, to have the information they need.
"The chances of being bitten by a shark are extremely remote, but the area does have a certain reputation and history, and presents a unique situation."
Eight warning signs were posted along the highway, and one was placed at Olowalu Landing.
The area's relatively calm waters attract several hundred snorkelers daily, including many families, and it is a favorite spot for commercial diving and snorkeling excursions.
Reef sharks are known to live in Olowalu waters. Although there have been shark attacks in Hawai'i involving reef sharks, they generally are not considered as aggressive as other species.
Tiger sharks, considered the most dangerous species in Hawai'i , are believed to be responsible for the three Olowalu attacks.
Ocean safety officials point out that shark attacks remain a rare occurrence in the Islands, considering the number of people in the water on a daily basis. Hawai'i averages three or four shark-bite cases a year.
Opponents of the permanent signs, including some snorkeling and scuba operators and the Pacific Whale Foundation, have said the risk of a shark attack doesn't appear to be higher at Olowalu than elsewhere and called for more research before any signs were erected.
The last shark attack involving injury occurred March 25 when a teenage surfer lost part of a leg to a shark at Brennecke's Beach near Po'ipu, Kaua'i.
