Shark signs remain up for Waimea Bay after another sighting
Shark warning signs were posted at Waimea Bay Beach Park after a spate of shark sightings just offshore (about five yards in one case) over several days in September 2017. The signs remained up after another shark sighting. Image courtesy of Cindy Ellen Russell/Honolulu Star-Advertiser. A recent spate of sharks spotted near the shore in early-to-mid September at a popular spot on O‘ahu’s north side is likely due to the spawning season of a species of fish, said Hawai‘i shark expert Carl Meyer of the Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB). Waimea Bay lifeguards on Monday 11 September reported multiple aggressive sharks about five yards (five meters) offshore.
Meyer noted in an email that the sharks are likely drawn to schools of juvenile akule (halalu) that typically spawn in bays and harbors in mid-to-late September. “The schools of fish are probably attracting sharks close to the shoreline where they are easier to spot,” he said. “The shark activity will taper off as the schools dwindle or disperse.”
Read more about it in The Honolulu Star-Advertiser and U.S. News and World Report.