WAIEHU, Hawaii (KHON2) — A 61-year-old man from Wailuku was hospitalized after suffering injuries from an apparent shark attack.
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Maui Police and Fire officials confirmed the early morning incident happened shortly after 7 a.m. in the waters off Waiehu Beach Park, also known as Sandpiles.
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Officers were responding to a miscellaneous accident when they located the man onshore who was alert and conscious.
He alerted officers he had suffered the shark bite while surfing and was able to swim back to shore with the help of other surfers.
Five first responders said the man’s leg was “completely severed just below the knee.”
According to Maui officials, “officers applied two Combat Application tourniquets to the injured area before medics and fire personnel arrived.”
The man was later transported to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition for further treatment.
The Department of Land and Natural Resources closed the area around 7:42 a.m. Beachgoers are advised to stay out of the water from Paukūkalo to Waihe‘e.
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A public warning has been issued until at least noon on Saturday, Nov. 2. Observed shark activity may be affected if the warning is extended.
In the meantime, a Maui Fire Department drone is being used to detect shark activity in offshore waters.
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