Officials in Hawaii said that a woman was bitten by what seemed to be a shark at a bay on Maui’s north shore on Saturday, and they are warning tourists to avoid the area.
The woman was sent to a hospital for treatment of a “severe bite,” according to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Authorities were unable to identify the woman, however HawaiiNewsNow claimed that she was a 51-year-old French tourist.
Woman hospitalized after possible shark attack on Maui’s north shore https://t.co/nH5ccxHhx #HNN
— Hawaii News Now (4 September 2022) (@HawaiiNewsNow)
The event occurred in Pia Bay on Saturday afternoon.
HawaiiNewsNow said that bystanders pulled her to land until emergency services arrived.
Cinthia Pacheco, who was at a neighboring beach when the attack occurred, told the station, “We had all the officers arrive, lifeguards, and police department — advising everyone to get out of the water.” “I believe my initial emotion was one of astonishment and compassion for the victim.
Officials posted signs telling people to avoid the water in the region until Sunday at noon.
According to HawaiiNewsNow, witnesses said that the water was murky following a night of heavy rain, which provides an elevated risk for humans swimming.
“When a predator is hungry in the wild, it will generally seize the first thing it detects or sees that could be a prospective meal. In cases of unintentional shark bites, it is frequently a matter of mistaken identity, according to the Aquarist Supervisor at Sea Life Park, Michelle Benedict.
Last year’s research demonstrated that shark attacks on people are frequently the result of mistaken identity. According to the findings, sharks have poor color perception, if not complete color blindness, and spatial resolution that is “considerably inferior to that of humans.” Researchers discovered that when searching for prey, they concentrate more strongly on motion and brightness contrast.
According to state records, at least two further shark attacks have occurred in Hawaii this year.