Hawaii shark attack victim has big bills but a new outlook on life
Filed under: Hawaii, News, Shark Attack Victims, Shark Attacks
Todd Murashige is a changed man
We covered the shark attack on Todd Murashige at Crouching Lion on Oahu earlier this year. The Honolulu Advertiser published this follow-up story to those events.
By Dan Nakaso, Honolulu Advertiser
KANE’OHE, OAHU
Todd Murashige will have to live with the vicious scars from an attack that ripped his thigh open to the bone — and with the feelings he has for the shark that bit him.
After two months of recovery and rehabilitation, Murashige is now grateful to the shark that changed his life.
“More and more, I’m happy that I got bit,” Murashige said yesterday in his home in Kane’ohe, with the mangled surfboard he was riding on Sept. 9 by his side. “To me, it was a wake-up call. Somebody was trying to get my attention to tell me to be a better person.”
Daily Coast Guard patrols keep Oahu under watch
Filed under: Hawaii, News, Shark Culture, Shark Research, Shark Sightings
We’re lagging behind a few days here, so this article’s not as fresh as our usual catch. Thanks for your patience and all the letters of support we’ve been receiving from dedicated Fear Beneath readers. We always appreciate your feedback!
By William Cole, Honolulu Advertiser
The man snorkeling in July off Kualoa Regional Park apparently didn’t see the bright orange Coast Guard helicopter circling overhead, or the 9-foot tiger shark cruising 100 yards away.
The chopper crew was keeping an eye on both.
“You see a situation like that develop, and you’ve got to think, what is the best thing to do?” said Lt. Cmdr. Tyson Weinert, 34, who was piloting the Coast Guard’s familiar orange-and-white-striped HH-65 Dolphin that day.
The crew couldn’t get the man’s attention, and Weinert said he was ready to lower a rescue basket and put a swimmer in the water if the shark got any closer.
“Just the fact that we were orbiting over the shark might have caused it go in another direction,” said Weinert, who’s from San Diego. “It’s just one of those things. You never know what you’ll see on a patrol.”
That patrol is one that the Coast Guard conducts almost daily. It has done so since shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The “ports, waterways and coastal security” mission has become a staple of the Coast Guard nationwide. On O’ahu, the low-flying, shore-hugging Dolphins are a familiar sight and sound to kama’aina and tourists alike — even if they may not really be sure what the Coast Guard is doing.
“I was thinking, what it was, because it doesn’t have the writing of the police, or the color of the police,” said Anna Landau, a visitor from Italy who was at Waikiki Beach recently and had seen the orange helicopters fly by.
Marilyn Dutra, 56, from California, who spends several months a year here, said the distinctive high-pitched whine of the Dolphin is enough for her to know what’s coming.
“We’ll be walking and hear it, and you’ll know it’s them,” said Dutra, who has friends who run the Prime Time Sports concession in Waikiki. “I’m assuming that (coastal protection) is what they are doing.”
Recently, a Coast Guard crew of three demonstrated what they do, flying slowly around O’ahu at around 80 knots and as low as about 200 feet on a nearly two-hour circuit.
With 1,500 pounds of fuel, the twin-engined Dolphin can fly for about 2.5 hours. Normally, two pilots, a rescue swimmer and flight mechanic are on board. To a lesser extent, the Coast Guard also flies Neighbor Island coast security patrols.
The missions are one outgrowth of 9/11 and homeland security concerns. Another was the addition in 2004 of armed Coast Guard Maritime Safety and Security Teams operating from small boats and intended to be a fast-response measure.
For fiscal 2007, the Coast Guard flew 360 flight hours on the coast security missions in Hawai’i — a fraction of the 5,780 hours flown by the helicopters on all missions, which typically include about 350 search-and-rescue flights a year.
But the coastline flights remain the most visible and familiar aspect of the service’s duties.
For more on this story, see tomorrow’s edition of The Advertiser.
Reach William Cole at wcole@honoluluadvertiser.com
Another Waimea Bay Shark Sighting Rocks Oahu (?)
The shocking picture of a shark sighting sign posted at Waimea Bay
A shark sighting had signs posted at Waimea Bay and Waikiki today. At 10:15 this morning, lifeguards at Waimea Bay spotted a shark measuring 6-8 feet long. They posted signs.
Then at 12:30, lifeguards in Waikiki saw another one in just about 2-4 feet of water. They posted signs and warned people to stay out of the water. Signs in Waikiki came down at 3:30 this afternoon.
But on the North Shore, the signs stayed up as sharks were still seen near shore.
Shark Sightings Reported at Sunset Beach, Waimea Bay
Signs were posted to warn of the recent shark sightings in Waimea Bay
City Ocean Safety officials today posted warning signs at Sunset Beach and Waimea Bay after a confirmed shark sightings.
Lifeguards saw a six to eight foot shark near the river mouth at Sunset Beach and advised swimmers and surfers to leave the water before posting warning signs at about 3:30 p.m., said Emergency Services Department spokesman Bryan Cheplic. The shark was not displaying aggressive behavior when it was sighted, Cheplic said.
Lifeguards at Waimea Bay saw an estimated 7-foot shark in the bay about 45 minutes later during a rescue operation involving a damaged catamaran, Cheplic said.,
The signs will remain up at both sites as officials plan to evaluate the situation at about 6 p.m., Cheplic said.
UPDATE: A dedicated Fear Beneath reader living on the North Shore sent in the above picture of the shark sighting warning sign, still posted at Waimea Bay on Monday morning.
More Shark Sightings Close Windward Oahu Beaches
Two reported shark sightings on Oahu’s Windward side. The first closed Waimanalo Beach Park. Someone saw a 15-foot tiger shark in the water. Lifeguards posted signs.
Then on Sunday afternoon, someone reported a six to eight foot shark at Lanikai. Astate land officer could not confirm the sighting so the beach is still open. This comes after a busy week of sightings and one attack.
On the Big Island, what state experts call the biggest influx they have seen in a long time kept beaches from Hapuna to Waialea bay closed for six straight days. They reopened but signs stayed posted Friday.
On Tuesday, Todd Murashige was bitten on his right leg while surfing Crouching Lions.
“I just kind of … reaction … just ahh. And just right there and I stuck my fingers into his mouth to try and pry him off,” Todd Murashige said.
The 40-year-old father of two paddled himself back to shore. He could be out of the hospital this week. And Thursday, a 10-to-12 foot tiger shark off Laniakeas and Chuns Reef had lifeguards pulling people out of the water. No one there was hurt.
Hawaiian Shark Activity: What’s The Explanation?
Filed under: Hawaii, Shark Attacks, Shark Sightings
Sharks are suddenly more conspicuous at Hawaii’s beaches – and there’s no clear reason for increased sightings and attacks, experts claim. There is no denying it – sharks seem to be coming close to shore a lot lately.
HAWAII
For the past week, up to 15 large tiger sharks have lingered along five miles of the Big Island’s Kohala Coast, near the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, coming within 20 yards of shore.
Several beaches have been closed on O’ahu in the past two weeks because of sightings; and a shark attacked a surfer Tuesday at a popular Ka’a'awa surf spot called Crouching Lion.
There is no definitive reason why there are more sharks near shore, though experts suggest explanations ranging from shark mating season to clearer water — which increases shark sightings, even if there are no more sharks than usual.
The state Department of Land and Natural Resources urged everyone to exercise caution when going into the ocean.
“Do not enter the water where shark warning signs are posted; in all other areas please exercise caution when entering the water,” Laura H. Thielen, DLNR chairwoman, said in a news release Wednesday.
Possible Shark Attack in Kaawa, Hawaii
Breaking News from Oahu!
KA’AWA, OAHU, HAWAII
A possible shark attack happened off of Kahana Bay shortly after 5 p.m. Paramedics say a man — possibly in his 40’s– was surfing when a shark bit him on his thigh and leg.
Officials say he was able to paddle himself back to the beach. A witness helped him control the bleading until paramedics arrived. Paramedics took the man in serious condition to the queens medical center.
Fire officials say ocean safety and firefighters are at the scene, clearing people out of the water.
Source: KHNL, Honolulu
