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Man fights off tiger shark to save others

Kahookele-Santos awarded Maui police Civilian Medal of Valor

By Lila Fujimoto 5 min read

WAILUKU -- When a tiger shark attacked a stand-up paddleboarder off Wailea this month, "violently thrashing his board," tour guide Triston Kahookele-Santos said he had to stay calm for others in the group.

He paddled toward the shark and used the blade of his paddle to strike the shark, which let go of the board and turned on Kahookele-Santos.

He fought off the creature with his paddle as it circled him three times, while the others paddled safely to shore.

For risking his life in the act of bravery, Kahookele-Santos was awarded the Maui Police Department's Civilian Medal of Valor, the highest civilian honor given by the department.

"What he did on that day is the epitome of what we as law enforcement folks are doing -- we run into danger when things are happening," Police Chief Tivoli Faaumu said in presenting the medal to Kahookele-Santos. "He really deserves it."

Before the ceremony Tuesday morning at the Wailuku Police Station, Maui police spokeswoman Lt. Audra Sellers said MPD hadn't given out the honor recently.

At the ceremony, Sellers described how Kahookele-Santos, a 20-year-old Upcountry resident and Andaz Beach Crew employee, was leading the group of five stand-up paddleboarders, who were about a quarter-mile offshore at about 9:30 a.m. Feb. 5.

She said the group had been watching whales, following fish and a manta ray.

"And then, out of nowhere, a 10-foot tiger shark appeared," she said.

Kahookele-Santos yelled to the group to get on their knees before the shark attacked a Washington man in the group, "violently thrashing his board," Sellers said.

She said Kahookele-Santos instructed the man to hold on tight.

"Triston, with disregard for his own safety, paddled directly at the shark, utilized the blade of his paddle and began striking the shark," Sellers said. "Finally, the shark disengaged and went after Triston."

The shark circled back three times. "Each time, Triston was able to fight off the shark by hitting it with his paddle," Sellers said. "Everyone made it to shore without injury."

She quoted Mark Boettger, director of security at Andaz Maui at Wailea Resort, as saying, "Triston is a true hero."

"And the Maui Police Department agrees," Sellers said.

Kahookele-Santos thanked "everyone helping me, always pushing me to be out on the water, teaching me about the ocean."

"Without them, I wouldn't be able to be calm out there," he said, acknowledging his "life coach," Andaz executive chef Isaac Bancaco. "It's being taught to be prepared for the worst-case scenario."

Kekoa Cramer, Andaz Beach Crew manager, was leading a whale watch that day while Kahookele-Santos led the paddleboarding lesson.

"We're very lucky to have Triston," Cramer said. "He's cool under pressure. Triston did above and beyond. We're very proud of him."

Faced with the emergency, Kahookele-Santos could have panicked instead of staying calm and thinking about the others in the group, Boettger said.

"He chose the right path," he said. "I think it's remarkable.

"He didn't just have the right stuff, he didn't just pass the test. He aced the test."

When he saw the shark that day, Kahookele-Santos remembers thinking, "Oh, man, this is for real right now. We got to make sure we get back safely."

"On the inside, it was a little worrisome," he said. "But on the outside, I had to stay calm for everyone."

While he focused on the shark, he told the others to paddle in slowly and try to keep the splashing to a minimum.

"It came to try bite my board. I'd hit it off, it would come again," he recalled. "Then it finally disengaged."

The shark attack was unexpected on the calm, clear day, Kahookele-Santos said.

"It was probably the most beautiful day you could think," he said. "The ocean was like a lake. It was crystal clear water, clear skies. It looked like a day you did not expect anything to go wrong."

As a paddler for Wailea Canoe Club Team Maui Jim, Kahookele-Santos has seen sharks. "But I've never had an encounter like that where it's aggressive," he said. "Most of the time, it swims along."

Kahookele-Santos, who moved with his family to Maui from Kona when he was 10, has worked at Andaz Beach Crew for about a year and a half after previously working as a surf instructor for Maui Waveriders.

After the shark attack, Kahookele-Santos said he spent about a week out of the water, in part because tours were canceled in kona weather. He has been getting back in the ocean, leading a recent whale tour.

And over the weekend, he and his older brother, Kekoa, took first place in the one-man canoe relay division of the Maui Paddling Hui 2020 Maui Jim Relay Race.

Officer Marjorie Kahookele-Pea said she thinks her son has developed more respect for the ocean since what happened.

"He followed protocol, he followed exactly what he was supposed to do," she said. "I'm proud of what he did."

* Lila Fujimoto can be reached at lfujimoto@mauinews.com.

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