updated 11:24 AM EST, Tue December 3, 2013
CNN Explains: Shark attacks
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- The man was fishing from a kayak when a shark bit his dangling foot
- His companion tried to save him, but he died on the way to shore
- This is the 13th shark incident in Hawaii so far this year, authorities say
The attack took place
Monday morning half a mile off a point near Little Beach in Makena State
Recreation Area on the island of Maui, the Department of Land and
Natural Resources (DLNR) said.
The victim's companion,
who was also on a kayak, told the department that his friend was fishing
for baitfish with artificial lures when a shark bit one of his feet,
which was dangling over the edge of the boat.
Shark victim's foot dangled over boat
The man's companion, who
was about 500 yards away when the attack took place, paddled over to
him, tied a tourniquet to try to stem severe bleeding and called on a
tour boat in the vicinity for help, authorities said.
The tour boat brought the
man to shore, and he was then taken to the hospital. But authorities
believe he died of his injuries during the boat journey, said Rod Antone
of the Mayor's Office of the County of Maui.
The man was in his 40s,
but authorities are unsure if he was a local resident or a tourist,
Antone said. The identities of the man and his companion have not been
disclosed.
High number of shark incidents
"We offer our
condolences to the family of the victim. Our thoughts and prayers are
with them," said William J. Aila, Jr., the DLNR chairman.
Authorities say they
have closed the waters off Makena State Recreation Area following the
attack. Beaches in the area remain open, but the DLNR said people are
advised to stay out of the water.
The area will reopen at noon Tuesday if no more sharks are seen in the vicinity, the department said.
The attack is the 13th shark incident reported in Hawaii so far this year, and the eighth on Maui, authorities said.
That's well above the
state's average of four unprovoked shark attacks per year over the past
20 years. The 10 incidents reported in 2012 were unprecedented at the
time, the DLNR said.
"We are not sure why
these bites are occurring more frequently than normal, especially around
Maui," Aila said. "That's why we are conducting a two-year study of
shark behavior around Maui that may give us better insights."
Aila said that authorities hope and expect "that numbers of incidents will return to a more normal range in the near future."
In August, a German tourist died after being bitten by a shark while she was vacationing in Hawaii.
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