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Beach reopened at Hookipa after Friday shark attack

Surfers and swimmers were allowed back into near-shore waters at Hookipa Beach Park and surrounding areas at noon Saturday, almost a day after a 5-foot reef shark bit a 36-year-old Paia man on the left arm and leg Friday afternoon off the west point of the popular beach.

Fire Services Chief Edward Taomoto said county lifeguards and conservation officers with the state Department of Land and Natural Resources patrolled the area where the man had been bitten on Saturday morning and didn’t see any sharks.

Shark warnings were lifted, he said.

The area closed to swimmers was originally set Friday evening for a 2-mile stretch from Tavares to Maliko bays. On Saturday morning, the west boundary was shifted to Kuau Point. The gates to Hookipa Beach Park remained closed until noon Saturday.

On Friday, after the shark bit the man at about 5 p.m., other surfers came to his aid and helped paddle him to shore.

The man was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center in serious condition. There was no update on the man’s condition Saturday.

The man was surfing about 50 yards from shore off the surf spot known as “H-Poko,” Taomoto said. Ocean conditions were reported as being windy, choppy and murky.

The incident marked the sixth shark attack this year on Maui and the second in a week. On Oct. 14, a 66-year-old woman was apparently bitten by a shark off Charley Young Beach in Kihei. She was hospitalized with severe injuries to her lower left leg.

Earlier this month, the DLNR warned people that shark bites are more common in October than other months.

For shark safety tips, go to hawaiisharks.org.

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