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Hawaii needs to get serious about shark problem

As a longtime resident (40-plus years) and homeowner on the Big Island as well as Maui, I am appalled that the news that we get in California, especially about the shark attack on the young female from Germany, is horrible. Hawaii seems to be more interested in crunching the tourism numbers than addressing the real shark problem and loss of life for locals and tourists.

In Australia, they have nets, shark hunts and use other methods to keep them out of the much-populated beaches. Why can’t Hawaii do the same?

As a teenager, I was chased and circled by a tiger shark off the old Kona Pier. There were a lot of little kids too in the water. I will never forget a man dumped his catch of the day in the harbor close to the old Kona Pier, and the shark was drawn away from me and gaffed along side his boat. He saved my life or a possible attack on me at 15 years old.

It is a frightening experience to live through, especially as many of us have children, nieces, nephews who surf in Hawaii – are they not precious enough to hunt down a potential threat to their lives? We do so with drunken drivers and other unlawful elements in our society.

And, by the way, yes I am haole but my children are hapa.

Robin Geldert-Cheek

Huntington Beach, Calif.

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