WAILEA, Maui — A 32-year-old California man was bitten on the leg by a shark yesterday while floating on his back about 25 yards from shore in Wailea.

The incident occurred about 3:30 p.m. in choppy, murky water between the Four Seasons Resort and the Grand Wailea Resort, said Randy Awo, chief conservation officer on Maui for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

The victim, a resident of West Hollywood, was treated at Maui Memorial Medical Center for a bite wound on his left calf, Awo said. The man told officials he was floating in water that was about 25 feet deep when a "gray" shark chomped on his leg. He was unable to provide a more detailed description of the predator.

As a result of the shark attack, two miles of Wailea shoreline were closed to swimmers yesterday and will remain closed at least until this morning, when county ocean safety officers, state conservation officers and fire personnel will check the area for sharks.

On Oct. 21, authorities closed Kama'ole Beach Park and Keawakapu Beach farther north on the South Maui coastline after shark sightings. That shark was believed to have been a hammerhead, which generally is not considered as dangerous to humans as tiger sharks and other species responsible for most shark bites in Hawai'i.

The hammerhead is not a suspect in yesterday's incident because the animal was found dead Thursday in an illegal gill net.

The most recent previous shark bite in Hawai'i was Aug. 28, when a 15-year-old bodysurfer was nipped on the foot near the Crouching Lion restaurant in Ka'a'awa.

The most recent previous shark incident on Maui occurred May 7, when a woman was bitten while snorkeling at Keawakapu Beach.

Other encounters between sharks and humans this year include: