Shark seriously injures 68-year-old woman 500 yards from shore, Hawaii officials say
.jpg "A shark swims off the coast of Midway Atoll in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands in 2012. A shark bit a 68-year-old woman swimming 500 yards offshore Saturday in Hawaii, seriously injuring her leg, officials say.")
A shark bite Saturday morning seriously injured a woman swimming 500 yards off Anaeho‘omalu Bay on Hawaii, authorities say.
An ocean sports vessel reported hearing cries for help near a channel marker about 600 feet off shore at 8 a.m., the state Department of Land and Natural Resources reported on Facebook.
A tour boat helped rescue the woman, who was taken to a hospital, the department says.
The 68-year-old woman had suffered a serious shark bite to her lower right leg while swimming near Waikoloa Village, The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported.
The size and type of shark involved remain unknown, KHON reported.
A fire department helicopter surveyed the area and did not spot the shark, state officials said. Shark warning signs were placed on nearby beaches.
A drone operator caught video of a nearby shark about an hour after the attack, but state officials say there’s no way to know if it was the one involved in the attack, KHON reported.
This story was originally published January 3, 2021 at 10:25 AM with the headline "Shark seriously injures 68-year-old woman 500 yards from shore, Hawaii officials say."