HONOLULU — As the number of shark attacks in Maui continues to climb, researchers at the University of Hawaii are trying to figure out the reason.
HONOLULU — As the number of shark attacks in Maui continues to climb, researchers at the University of Hawaii are trying to figure out the reason.
KHON-TV reports that researchers have learned many sharks prefer a habitat shallower than 600 feet.
“They’ve showed that in certain locations, the sharks tend to swim by pretty regularly,” said Waikiki Aquarium director Andrew Rossiter. “They seem to be swimming along the depth grade beneath the ocean so they tend to converge at certain places and if there’s a point of land where this depth occurs, people go in the water, they’re coinciding with sharks.”
Experts also say that sharks will attack if provoked or if they believe an object is food.
“They do an exploratory bite and if they think it’s going to be food, they come back to eat it. But in the case of a human, that exploratory bite can be fatal,” Rossiter said.
University of Hawaii at Manoa researchers have been using tracking devices to study tiger shark movements around Maui and Oahu since 2013. Right now, they’re following 24 sharks in Hawaiian waters. A website that tracks the sharks’ movements reveals a cluster around Maui.
Tiger sharks on Maui are found in popular beaches, but scientists are still trying to figure out why there are more attacks on Maui than Oahu.
Experts say the risk of being bitten is extremely small. To further reduce risk stay out of water at dawn, dusk and night when sharks feed, don’t go in the water if you’re bleeding, don’t wear high-contrast clothing or shiny jewelry and avoid murky water.