- On Tuesday, a 27-year-old woman was attacked by a shark while swimming at Napoopoo Beach Park in Kealakekua Bay.
- The animal bit her twice.
- She was treated for injuries on her hips and lower back and is now reported to be in “good health.”
- “The shark is still in the area, so we’re trying to get people out of the water at this time,” Hawaii Fire Department Battalion Chief William Bergin told the Associated Press.
- It’s unclear if the woman, whose identity has not been released, is a local or a tourist.
On Tuesday, a 27-year-old woman was attacked by a shark while swimming at Napoopoo Beach Park in Kealakekua Bay.
The woman was bitten twice by the shark, which witnesses described as “having a grey tip,” police said. After the incident, which was reported at 8 a.m., she was transported to Kona Community Hospital where she was treated for injuries to her lower back and right hip.
Following the attack, the woman is reported to be recovering and in “good health.” According to the Hawaii Police Department, the woman is expected to be released from the hospital.
It’s unclear what kind of shark bit the woman or its size. Hawaii Fire Department Battalion Chief William Bergin told the Associated Press that based on what authorities know, they believe it could have been a 6-foot black-tip reef shark.
“The shark is still in the area, so we’re trying to get people out of the water at this time,” he said.
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Bergin also said it’s unclear if the woman, who was 50 yards away from the shore at the time of the attack, is a tourist or a local. According to the Associated Press, the bay is closed for swimmers until noon on Wednesday.
This marks the ninth shark attack in Hawaii this summer — including one fatality. In May, Thomas Smiley, a 65-year-0ld California man, was killed by a shark while he was swimming in the Ka’anapali Beach Park area on Maui. Last week, a surfer narrowly avoided being injured by a shark when the animal took a chomp out of his surfboard instead.