TODAY. JENN BONEZA HAS MORE ON
THAT .. JENN?
JENN:
THE VICTIM IS A 65-YEAR-OLD
CALIFORNIA MAN. THE NEWS OF HIS
PASSING IS TRAGIC. BUT I SPOKE
TO A
SHARK EXPERT WHO TELLS ME FATAL
SHARK ATTACKS ARE EXTREMELY
RARE.
FAMILY OF THE VICTIM SAY HE WENT
OUT FOR A SWIM AT HONOKOWAI
POINT NEAR KAANAPALI BEACH PARK
MAUI FIRE OFFICIALS TELL ME A
WITNESS IN A NEIGHBORING HOTEL
CALLED 911 JUST BEFORE 9AM.
THE 65-YEAR-OLD MAN WAS PULLED
ASHORE WITH TRAUMATIC, LIFE
THREATENING INJURIES CONSISTENT
WITH A SHARK ATTACK.
I REACHED OUT TO SHARK EXPERT,
DR. MICHAEL DOMIER
DR. MICHAEL DOMIER, SHARK
EXPERT: " ITS A GUT WRENCHING
THING WHEN IT HAPPENS. AND WE
ALL THINK ABOUT IT WHEN WE HEAR
ABOUT IN ON THE NEWS
AND NO ONE WANTS TO BE ON THAT
PART OF THE FOOD CHAIN."
DOMIER TELLS ME SHARK ATTACKS
ARE RARE, AND FATAL ATTACKS EVEN
RARER STILL
MICHAEL: "YOUR CHANGES OF
GETTING ATTACKED BY A SHARK ARE
EVEN SURVIVING ARE LESS THAN 1
IN 12 MILLION."
THIS IS THE 6TH SHARK ATTACK IN
HAWAII SO FAR THIS YEAR,
ACCORDING TO THE DLNR'S DIVISION
OF AQUATIC RESOURCES.
THERE WERE 3 IN 2018.
OUT OF OVER 120 ATTACK ON RECORD
SINCE 1995, THIS IS ONLY THE 5TH
FATAL ATTACK IN THE ISLANDS
ALL 5 OF THOSE DEADLY ATTACKS
OCCURRED ON MAUI.
THE LAST FATAL ATTACK HAPPENED
MICHAEL DOMIER: "MAUI HAS FOR
SOME REASON BEEN A HOT SPOT IN
THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS FOR TIGER
SHARK ATTACKS AND I DON'T THINK
ANYBODY
CAN REALLY SAY WITH ANY
CERTAINLY WHY THAT IS. THERE'S
CERTAINLY GREAT TIGER SHARK
HABITAT ON MAUI, A LOT OF
SHALLOW WATER , BUT A LOT OF
PEOPLE
IN THE WATER TOO."
I'M TOLD THE VICTIM WAS PULLED
FROM WATER ROUGHLY 20-25 FEET
DEEP.
THOUGH IT IS LIKELY HE WAS
ATTACKED BY A TIGER SHARK, THAT
HASN'T BEEN CONFIRMED YET.
DOMIER SAYS THERE IS A
POSSIBILITY IT WAS A DIFFERENT
TYPE OF SHARK
MICHAEL DOMIER: "A GALAPAGOS
SHARKS, WHICH ACTUALLY SURPRISED
ME, HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT
AGGRESSIVE ON OAHU."
DLNR ATTRIBUTES THE RECENT
ATTACK AT ANAEHOOMALU BAY ON THE
BIG ISLAND AND IN HALEIWA ON THE
NORTH SHORE TO GALAPAGOS
SHARKS.
JENN:
OUR DEEPEST CONDOLENCES GO OUT
TO THE VICTIM'S FAMILY. MAUI
FIRE OFFICIALS TELL ME THEY DID
NOT SEE ANY SHARKS IN THERE
INITIAL SEARCH OF THE AREA
HOWEVER, SHARK SIGHTED SIGNS ARE
POSTED ALONG HONOKOWAI POINT.
KATHY
