On Saturday, December 30, 2023, a 39-year-old man died after being attacked by a shark while surfing at Pāʻia Bay in Maui, Hawaii. The man, who was from Haiku, was brought to shore by lifeguards on a jet ski and received life-saving measures. Authorities withheld the man’s identity for 24 hours to allow his family to notify friends and extended family.
According to mauikayakadventures.com, Hawaii has 14 shark attack deaths per year, with 3.4 incidents per year across the Hawaiian Islands. However, with over 8 million people visiting Hawaii annually, the chances of being attacked by a shark are very slim.
Police responded to a beach area near the Hana Highway in Paia at 11:19 a.m. local time. Officers used a jet ski to bring to shore a 39-year-old man who was injured in a “shark encounter,” Maui police said in a news release.
After bringing the man to shore, first responders performed “life-saving measures” until paramedics arrived to take him to Maui Memorial Medical Center, according to the news release.
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The man later died from his injuries, police said. Authorities said they were hiding her identity for 24 hours “to allow her family the opportunity to notify their extended family and friends.”
According to the Aquatic Resources Division of the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, researchers have observed that shark bites are more likely to occur in Hawaii from October to December.
Shark attacks, especially fatal ones, are rare: previously reported that sharks kill an average of five people per year in unprovoked attacks. According to the International Shark Attack File, the chance of being fatally attacked by a carnivorous fish is less than 1 in 4 million. Experts attribute many cases of shark bites to mistaken identification, especially in waters with low visibility.
According to records, the last fatal shark encounter in Hawaii occurred when a snorkeler was killed near Maui on December 8, 2022.
