Two attacks were recorded to have happened in Kauai and Oahu, Hawaii, last Saturday. CNN reports that these attacks involved a shark and an eel.
According to Honolulu Emergency Medical Services spokeswoman Shayne Enright, the attack that happened Saturday morning involved a 44-year-old man who was swimming between the small islands of Mokulua and Lanikai Beach on Oahu.
The man was hospitalized due to his critical condition and severe injuries to both legs. The shark that bit him was believed to be an 8-10 foot tiger shark.
The man was reported to have been swimming 50 to 100 yards off shore with another man when witnesses saw someone waving a paddle and shouting '911'. This was when the Lanikai resident Mike Dilks and his friend Joey Montano called police and helped pull the man out of the water.
Montano told CNN affiliate KHNL that the victim's injuries 'were pretty extreme, both legs, just above the ankle were just hanging on'. Montano also said that the victim was unresponsive and pale before Honolulu EMS arrived.
Lifeguards put on the "sharks sighted" sign after the attack; however, they decided to put away the signs on Sunday because no other sharks were spotted.
In another incident off Waikiki, a 33-year-old man was bitten Saturday evening. The man said to have been bitten on the left foot and was hospitalized in serious condition. Authorities first believed it was also from a shark attack. However, EMS officials later said that the bite was 'consistent with an eel bite'.
Honolulu Ocean Safety also warned of the possibility of barracudas in the area.
Hawaii is known to have approximately 40 species of sharks, with the tiger shark as the most involved in a variety of attacks. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration fact sheet also states that the tiger shark is considered to be one of the top sharks involved in unprovoked fatal attacks around the globe.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
