The waters around Hawaii are home to about 40 species of sharks, with others paying occasional visits. Shark attacks do occur but are very few and far between. While people should be careful around sharks, shark attacks are not a high risk factor for swimmers, divers and surfers in Hawaii.
Hawaii has an abundance of marine life. Its sharks include the enormous, and harmless, whale shark, hammerhead sharks, reef sharks, and some very small varieties such as the pygmy shark. Most prefer deep water, and only a few regularly come close to the shore. The infamous great white shark of "Jaws" infamy visits Hawaiian waters very occasionally. This shark has a bad reputation but in fact rarely attacks humans. The tiger shark is potentially the most dangerous species to humans around Hawaii, and even this shark rarely attacks humans.
Despite the fear that sharks sometimes inspire, the risk they pose to humans is minimal. According to records kept by the International Shark Attack Files at the University of Florida, there were 101 unprovoked shark attacks near Hawaii between 1670 to 2010. Eight of these were fatal. That works out to one fatal shark attack every 42 years. The rate of shark attacks did not go up even when the number of people in the waters around Hawaii did.
One of those rare shark attacks occurred in 2003. Bethany Hamilton, then 13, was surfing near Kauai's North Shore when she was attacked by a tiger shark. The shark took her left arm. "My left arm was laying in the water and my other arm was just holding on to my board and the shark, just, like came up and attacked me," she said in a 2005 interview with CNN. Far from being afraid to go back in the water, Hamilton went on to compete for the U.S. national surfing team. Her book about her life, "Soul Surfer," was the source of a 2011 movie starring AnnaSophia Robb.
Most shark attacks appear to be a case of mistaken identity, with the shark thinking a human is a seal or turtle. Even in the Hamilton case, the shark bit and just swam away. Swimmers should avoid harassing sharks. In the event of a bite and run attack, stem the bleeding with pressure or a makeshift tourniquet, get out of the water and seek medical assistance. If a shark refuses to let go, punch, poke or hit it as hard as you can. The eyes, gills and snout are the most sensitive parts.
