Search ends for missing snorkeler in South Maui
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The search for a 60-year-old snorkeler who was reported missing after a shark was spotted off Keawakapu Beach on Thursday afternoon was called off at noon today after first responders were unable to locate the woman from Washington state.
Based on reports from her husband and other witnesses, a large shark was spotted about 50 yards offshore at Keawakapu Point in South Maui just before noon on Thursday, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. The woman’s husband reported that while the couple was snorkeling, he saw a shark swim by but could not see his wife. The shark swam by several times before the man returned to shore and reported his wife missing, DLNR said in a news release.
First responders used personal watercraft, a rescue boat, a helicopter and a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft to search the area, beginning shortly after the initial 911 call. They continued searching until nightfall Thursday and resumed at daybreak this morning.
DLNR Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers remained on scene until 2 p.m. after a large shark, believed to be a 10- to 12-foot tiger shark, was spotted in the area.
Shark warning signs were removed after a subsequent survey of the area found no signs of the shark.
Under shark incident protocols, DLNR does not release the names of individuals involved in shark encounters.
DLNR, Maui County and other agencies and individuals involved in the search extend their condolences to the family and friends of the missing woman, the news release said.