Photo By Christine Cabalo | Lifeguards at Pyramid Rock Beach post a sign warning about a shark sighting, June 17,...... read more read more
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MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII - Birds do it. Bees do it. Even hammerhead sharks in Kaneohe Bay
do it.
Right now, the bay’s resident hammerhead sharks are in the birthing season. With the increase of hammerhead pups in the bay from May to possibly early July, lifeguards at Marine Corps Base Hawaii are warning beach users of the potential dangers.
“Lifeguards are seeing sharks a lot more (at MCB Hawaii beaches) in the summer months,” said Ian MacDonald, a senior ocean lifeguard at Marine Corps Community Services Aquatics. “If you go diving, use the buddy system for general safety, especially now. Be aware that fishing and blood from catches may attract sharks. Use your best judgment.”
When a shark is spotted at any of the base beaches, lifeguards will close the water for a 45-minute period and post shark sighting signs, MacDonald said. After the 45-minute period, if no sharks have been sighted, the lifeguard will re-open the beach. If a shark is spotted again, then lifeguards will close down the area for another 45-minutes. The signs will remain posted to warn water users of the earlier sighting.
MacDonald said only the beach where the shark was sighted is closed, and the remaining base beaches are open unless lifeguards spot other sharks or otherwise deem it unsafe. During days when there are high sightings or when a sighting occurs just before lifeguards are off-duty at 6 p.m., the beach will close overnight.
“It’s good to have a healthy fear of sharks,” MacDonald said. “It’s hard to say what a wild creature will do.”
Warm beach conditions are attracting more than just beach goers. The increase of hammerhead pups attract larger sharks that consider them prey, said Chris Cervantes, who is also a lifeguard at MCCS Aquatics. He said the MCCS Aquatics staff see sharks that range from 4 to 14-feet long. The majority of sharks near MCB Hawaii are hammerheads, but MacDonald said there are a variety of sharks that enter the area including aggressive tiger and Galapagos sharks. However, he added that beach patrons should also be aware that hammerhead sharks do bite.
In Hawaii there were six confirmed non-fatal shark attacks during 2014 and 12 confirmed non-fatal attacks in 2013, according to statistics from the Division of Aquatic Resources at the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.
This amount is much less than the 332 people who died due to drowning from 2008 to 2012, according to a 2013 report on visitor safety from the Injury Prevention and Control Section of the Hawaii Department of Health. However, the two MCB Hawaii lifeguards said being prepared helps reduce the risk for any ocean hazard.
“Getting in the water without safety information is one of the most deadly things to do,” Cervantes said. “More (non-residents) are killed by water activities.”
Both MacDonald and Cervantes recommend beach goers to talk to lifeguards about conditions and check the base regulations before heading in. MacDonald said he always suggests people should follow the acronym SOAK. The acronym stands for study the environment, observe conditions, ask a lifeguard and know your
personal limits.
“The most important things to understand are our flag system and what the beach hazards and regulations are,” Cervantes said. “If you know ahead of time, you can prepare better.”
Increased shark activity is one of several hazards beach goers should be aware of. At Pyramid Rock Beach, regulations are posted on green signs near the entrance of the main parking lot. Beaches are open if the white flag is flown from the lifeguard tower, Cervantes said. The beaches are closed if the red flag is up. A yellow flag means the beach is open, but there is high surf or strong currents so swimming fins should be used.
Shark fatalities are rare, according the International Shark Attack File website maintained by the University of Florida. The website lists nine fatalities statewide since 1828, five on Oahu. However, MacDonald and Cervantes said their job as lifeguards is prevention and ensuring safety by preventing people and sharks from getting that close to each other.
“If the shark is curious about something it thinks is a food source, they’ll swim up to it,” Cervantes said. “They don’t have hands, so they feel with their mouth or get really close to check it out. Any shark interacting with people is (potentially) dangerous, especially if people don’t realize that sharks are out there.”
For more information about MCB Hawaii beaches, see the MCCS Aquatics website at: mccshawaii.com/aquatics/. The Hawaii DLNR also hosts a website on shark attacks in Hawaii at: dlnr.hawaii.gov/sharks/.
| Date Taken: | 06.17.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 06.19.2015 21:24 |
| Story ID: | 167410 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII, HI, US |
| Web Views: | 403 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Living in a shark-eat-shark world, by Christine Cabalo, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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