California Man Killed in Hawaii Shark Attack

hawaiian ocean

A California man was killed in a shark attack while swimming off the coast of Maui Saturday morning, making it the first fatal shark attack in Hawaii since 2015.

Authorities say a 65-year-old man identified as Thomas Smiley, of Sacramento, was swimming about 60 yards offshore at Ka'anapali Beach Park in Maui when the shark attacked. The man was discovered offshore unresponsive. He was brought to the beach on a jet ski where he was given CPR. However, the man died at the scene as the result of his injuries, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reported.

"He apparently came into contact with a shark (and) was seen in distress by witnesses who called 911," Chief Jason Redulla of Hawaii's Division of Conservation and Resource Enforcement told ABC News Radio.

The man's family told rescue crews that Smiley had gone swimming in the area.

"County first responders responded and found the male in the water," Redulla said. "He was subsequently brought back to shore and unfortunately he succumbed to his injuries, which we believe at this point may have been a shark attack."

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources posted several shark-warning signs at Ka'anapali Beach Park warning swimmers that sharks may be near. The species of shark that bit the California man is unknown, however, officials say tiger sharks are mostly responsible for shark attacks in the area. In February of this year, a surfer was injured by a tiger shark on the left leg at Hanalei Bay.

The incident is the sixth shark-bite case of 2019, and the first one to result in a fatality since 2015.

Photo: Getty Images


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