Hawaii, renowned for its mesmerizing beaches and thriving marine life, attracts countless tourists every year. Amidst the allure, however, lies a cautionary note: shark attacks. These incidents, though relatively rare, have consequences on the island’s tourism and provide vital insights into human-sea life interactions. Our goal is to provide you with up-to-date, weekly details on these shark attacks in Hawaii to ensure your safety and to keep you informed.
Recent Shark Attacks in Hawaii
| Date / Time | Country / Area | Activity | Name | Sex / Age | Injury | Species |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 06-14-2023 | USA ,Hawaii | Filming | Netflix crew | M | Sharks bit their inflatable boats | Tiger sharks |
| 05-11-2023 | USA ,Hawaii | Kayak fishing | Scott Haraguchi | M | Shark bit kaysak, no inury to occupant | Tiger shark |
| 04-09-2023 07h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | Mike Morita | M /58 | Injuries to right foot | Tiger shark |
| 03-19-2023 12h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Swimming | male | M /60 | Left hand and left leg. | |
| 12-13-2022 08h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Swimming | male | M /68 | Lower left torso, defensive wounds to hands | Tiger shark? |
| 12-08-2022 12h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Snorkeling | Kristiine Allen | F /60 | Fatal attack | Tiger shark |
| 10-25-2022 Afternoon | USA ,Hawaii | Snorkeling | Scott Hill | M /51 | No injury, swim fin bitten | Tiger shark? |
| 09-03-2022 16h10 | USA ,Hawaii | Swimming or Snorkeling | female | F /51 | Injuries to left arm and right hand | |
| 12-04-2021 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | male | M | Arm bitten | Blacktip reef shark |
| 11-07-2021 10h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Spearfishing | female | F /27 | Leg bitten | |
| 05-15-2021 16h45 | USA ,Hawaii | Kite Foiling | male | M /35 | 2- to 3-inch cuts to posterior thigh | 5 to 8-ff tiger shark |
| 05-03-2021 16h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | Parker Blanchette | M /14 | Lacerations to shin and calf | 5.5 ft shark |
| 04-20-2021 08h56 | USA ,Hawaii | Swimming | female | F /57 | Puncture wound to knee | Tiger shark |
| 02-06-2021 16h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | Gavin Klein | M | No injury, surfboard bitten | |
| 01-22-2021 07h45 | USA ,Hawaii | Snorkeling | Jerry Weisbecker | M /73 | Puncture wounds to left calf | 8 shark |
| 01-02-2021 08h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Swimming | Jeri L. Douglas | F /68 | Significant injury to right lower leg | |
| 12-08-2020 07h45 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | Robin Warren | M /56 | FATAL | Tiger shark. 14'3 |
| 11-26-2020 14h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Snorkeling | female | F /35 | Severe injury to torso | |
| 09-21-2020 11h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Swimming | female | F /61 | Lacerations and puncture wounds to shoulder | Injuries not caused by a shark |
| 09-06-2020 16h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Snorkeling | Female | F /70 | Ankle bitten | 8' shark |
| 06-01-2020 08h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | Douglas Moore | M | Cut to index finger of hand | Tiger shark? |
| 12-03-2019 10h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Stand-Up Paddleboarding | Larry Oberto | M /57 | No injury, inflatable paddle board was bitten by the shark | 10'-12' tiger shark |
| 09-26-2019 09h15 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | female | F | No injury, back of board bitten | 6' to 7' shark |
| 09-18-2019 10h40 | USA ,Hawaii | Snorkeling | Lauren Russell, Regan Russell & unidentied male | /22 | Minor injuries | Galapagos shark, 5'-9' |
| 08-20-2019 08h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Swimming/ Treading water | female | F /26 | Injury to lower back and right hip | |
| 08-11-2019 19h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | Max Keliikipi | M /16 | No injury, board damaged | 10' to 12' shark |
| 07-29-2019 22h20 | USA ,Hawaii | Swimming | Adherbal Treidler de Oliveira | M /49 | Bite to abdomen & left leg medial thigh | Cookiecutter shark |
| 05-25-2019 08h48 | USA ,Hawaii | Swimming | Thomas Smiley | M /65 | FATAL | |
| 05-14-2019 08h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | male | M | No injury, knocked of board by shark | 8' shark |
| 05-08-2019 09h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Swimming with sharks | female | F /34 | Injuries to left arm and hand | |
| 04-23-2019 08h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Kayaking | Kimberly Bishop | F /65 | Injury to right inner thigh | Tiger shark |
| 04-06-2019 Night | USA ,Hawaii | Picking opihi | male | M /58 | Probable death by drowning, body scavenged by shark | Tiger shark |
| 04-06-2019 01h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Swimming | Isaiah Mojica | M /23 | Bitten on left shoulder | Cookiecutter shark |
| 03-26-2019 10h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Paddling an outrigger canoe | Mike Bernstone | M /74 | Shark bit canoe, but injury to occupant may not have been caused by the shark | 12' shark |
| 03-16-2019 03h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Swimming | Eric Schall | M /58 | Bite to abdomen | Cookiecutter shark |
| 02-04-2019 13h40 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | male | M | Multiple lacerations to leg | Tiger shark |
| 09-08-2018 08h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Stand-Up Paddleboarding | Juliun Perkins | M /23 | Right arm bitten | Tiger shark, 10' to 12' |
| 06-09-2018 07h45 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | John Denges | M /48 | Injury to left lower leg from surfboard skeg | |
| 04-19-2018 | USA ,Hawaii | Body boarding | Dylan McWilliams | M /29 | Lacerations to right lower leg | 6' shark |
| 03-31-2018 09h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Stand-Up Paddleboarding | male | M /25 | Lacerations to right hand and arm, loss of right leg below the knee | Tiger shark, 12' |
| 12-31-2017 18h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | Marjorie Mariano | F /54 | Severe lacerations to left thigh & knee | Tiger shark |
| 11-02-2017 14h15 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | male | M /20 | Minor cuts to lower left leg | |
| 10-26-2017 15h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Stand-Up Paddleboarding | T. Rodman | M | No injury but shark bit SUP | |
| 10-09-2017 18h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | Mitch Milan | M /54 | Lacerations to left hand | Tiger shark, 8 to 10 feet |
| 10-05-2017 12h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Snorkeling | female | F /40 | Abrasions | 8' shark |
| 04-14-2017 09h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | Baboo | M /28 | Lower right leg severely injured | Tiger shark, 12' |
| 11-14-2016 10h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Floating | Barbara Zawacki | F /58 | Injuries to right calf and thigh | Tiger shark |
| 10-21-2016 17h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | Federico Jaime | M /36 | Left arm and leg injured | 6' to 8' shark |
| 10-14-2016 09h50 | USA ,Hawaii | Snorkeling | female | F /66 | Injuries to left calf | |
| 09-07-2016 14h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Swimming | Lulu Bagnol | F /51 | Severe lacerations to shoulder & forearm | Tiger shark, 10' |
| 08-06-2016 16h30 | USA ,Hawaii | SUP Foil boarding | Connor Baxter | M /21 | No inury, shark & board collided | Tiger shark, 10' |
| 06-15-2016 06h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | male | M | Single puncture wound to arm | 3' to 4' shark |
| 05-03-2016 15h49 | USA ,Hawaii | Floating | male | M /59 | Minor lacerations to right shoulder | |
| 03-31-2016 11h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Snorkeling | J. Orr | F /46 | Minor injury to left foot | |
| 01-28-2016 14h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | male | M | Lacerations to both hands | Reef shark, 5' |
| 01-25-2016 11h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | Kaya Waldman | F /15 | No injury | |
| 01-23-2016 Morning | USA ,Hawaii | Paddle boarding | Matt Mason | M /48 | No injury | Tiger shark, 14' |
| 12-22-2015 Morning | USA ,Hawaii | Paddle boarding | Robert Ford | M /71 | No injury, shark bit board | 9' shark |
| 11-03-2015 11h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Swimming | Paul O'Leary | M /54 | Laceration to right ankle | |
| 10-28-2015 14h50 | USA ,Hawaii | Body boarding | Raymond Senensi | M /10 | Lacerations & puncture wounds to right thigh, calf & ankle | |
| 10-17-2015 11h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Swimming | Tony Lee | M /44 | Severe injuries to lower legs. Foot later surgically amputated. | Tiger shark, 7' |
| 10-17-2015 19h20 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | male | M /32 | Left foot bitten by eel | No shark involvement |
| 10-09-2015 10h25 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | Colin Cook | M /25 | Left leg severed below the knee, defense injuries to left hand | Tiger shark, 13' |
| 09-20-2015 15h52 | USA ,Hawaii | Spearfishing | Braxton Rocha | M /27 | Severe laceration to left leg | Tiger shark, 13' |
| 04-29-2015 09h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Snorkeling | Margaret Cruse | F /65 | FATAL | |
| 03-18-2015 11h45 | USA ,Hawaii | Standing / Snorkeling | Ken Grasing | M /58 | Lacerations to left forearm. Lacerations to left hand and thigh | Tiger shark, 8 to 12 feet |
| 01-27-2015 03h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Shark fishing | Michael Pollard | M /20 | Lacerations to calf by hooked shark PROVOKED INCIDENT | 4' shark |
| 11-13-2014 13h30 | USA ,Hawaii | Snorkeling | Andrew Haas | M /53 | Laceration to left upper leg | 1.5 m shark |
| 10-31-2014 11h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Surfing | McKenzie Clark | F /34 | Lacerations to fingers | Tiger shark, 12' |
| 10-22-2014 10h00 | USA ,Hawaii | Stand-Up Paddleboarding | Kim Lawrence | F | No injury, paddleboard bitten | Tiger shark |
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How can swimmers in Hawaii detect the presence of sharks?
Swimmers in Hawaii can detect the presence of sharks through several signs. Notable indicators include the presence of bait fish, diving birds, marine mammals, or seeing the sharks themselves. It’s crucial to maintain vigilance and adhere to safety measures while swimming in Hawaii’s waters.
Can shark attacks occur near the shore in Hawaii?
Yes, shark attacks can occur near the shore in Hawaii, especially in areas highly frequented by their prey. Despite being rare, these incidents emphasize the need for vigilance and adherence to safety precautions while in Hawaii’s waters.
What steps should a person take if they are attacked by a shark in Hawaii?
If a person is attacked by a shark in Hawaii, their immediate response should involve trying to fend off the shark by targeting its sensitive areas – the eyes and gills. Once safe, they must seek immediate professional medical attention to address any injuries sustained during the encounter.
