KAILUA-KONA A 65-year-old California visitor was hospitalized Tuesday following a reported shark attack in waters off Anaehoomalu Bay in South Kohala.
KAILUA-KONA — A 65-year-old California visitor was hospitalized Tuesday following a reported shark attack in waters off Anaehoomalu Bay in South Kohala.
All beaches in the vicinity will remain closed until further notice, Civil Defense said. The attack occurred around 8:30 a.m. in the bay fronting the Waikoloa Beach Marriott Resort & Spa.
Department of Land and Natural Resources spokesman Dan Dennison said the victim was a 65-year-old woman visiting from California.
She was reportedly bitten by a 5-foot black-tip reef shark at Anaehoomalu Bay, Dennison said.
The Hawaii Fire Department said the woman was brought to shore in a kayak by bystanders after the incident that occurred several hundred yards offshore.
She suffered a bite to her right upper thigh that was approximately 12 inches in diameter.
“The patient does not remember events prior to being bitten,” the department said in a press release.
The woman was airlifted to North Hawaii Community Hospital for treatment. She was last reported to be in stable condition.
The fire department conducted a post-incident fly-over of several miles of shoreline and no further shark sightings were reported, Dennison said.
Warning signs are posted and hotels have advised visitors. Beaches in the vicinity will remain closed until further notice.
