myiW Current Conditions and Forecasts Community Forums Buy and Sell Services
 
Hi guest · myAccount · Log in
 SearchSearch   ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   RegisterRegister 
Shark attack

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    iWindsurf Community Forum Index -> Windsurfing Discussion
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
windsurf50



Joined: 19 May 2000
Posts: 28

PostPosted: Wed Aug 16, 2000 10:12 pm    Post subject: Shark attack Reply with quote

Shark attacks man off Maui
Windsurfer in critical condition
Honolulu Advertiser
By Christie Wilson
Neighbor Island Editor
August 16, 2000

KANAHA, Maui - A visitor from France was critically injured in a shark attack on Mauis most popular windsurfing beach yesterday.

Jean Alain Goenvec, 53, of Marseilles, was windsurfing at Kanaha Beach around noon in turquoise water a mile off the north shore beach when he was bitten on the leg. He was brought ashore and taken by ambulance to Maui Memorial Medical Center, where he was listed in critical condition last
night with a severe wound to one of his calves.

Maui County water safety officials immediately closed beaches along the coast from Kanaha to Baldwin Beach Park and posted shark sighting warning signs. Kanaha, adjacent to Kahului Airport, remained closed today.

It was the second time in less than a week that a Maui beach has been closed because of concerns about sharks. During the weekend, D.T. Fleming Beach Park in West Maui was closed after a 15-foot tiger shark was observed prowling near shore.

Hawaii averages two to three shark attacks each year. Officials with the statewide shark task force last year were concerned about three attacks on the Big Island in less than six months but found nothing to indicate there were more sharks in Hawaii waters.

Only Goenvec saw the shark that attacked off Kanaha. One of his companions, Michel Barlaud of Cannes, France, was on the beach when the windsurfer was brought to shore. Barlaud said Goenvec told him the creature was 12 to 15 feet long.

American Airlines pilot John Sincerbeaux, 39, who likes to spend his brief Hawaii layovers windsurfing at Kanaha, was enjoying the brisk trade winds on his sailboard when he saw Goenvec in the water waving his arms.

I saw this guy way out signaling for help, Sincerbeaux said. He was laying on his board, and I sailed right up to him. I thought the sail came off his board, but he told me he was just attacked by a shark.

The pilot sailed back to shore and notified water safety officer Joe Perez of the situation. Perez launched his rescue ski and sped out to Goenvec. Perez said the windsurfer was fully conscious and had used one of his sail lines as a tourniquet in an attempt to stop the flow of blood from his massive wound. Goenvec was able to cling to the sled attached to the back of Perezs rescue ski and was towed ashore.

Neither Perez nor Sincerbeaux said they saw sharks swimming in the area. In fact, Perez said that in the seven years he has been posted at Kanaha, he has yet to see a shark.

Some of the windsurfers have said theyve seen sharks when they sail far out there, but they never come in, Perez said.

Barlaud described Goenvec as an expert windsurfer. The two men are on Maui for a months vacation with their wives and have been windsurfing at Kanaha almost every day since arriving. They were planning to leave Aug. 25.

When we windsurf, we can fall in the water, even if we are expert, Barlaud said in explaining what happened to his friend. When asked if he would continue to windsurf at Kanaha, he replied: I dont know.

Other windsurfers at Kanaha yesterday were more nonchalant about the shark attack. Its something a bit unexpected, said Chris Peroutka of Vienna, Austria, as he packed up to head to a windsurfing beach on the leeward side of the island. It wont stop me (from windsurfing), but Ill be more wary.

Robert Stadler of Bavaria, Germany, was at Kanaha with his family and was just getting ready to launch his windsurfing rig when he heard about the shark attack. Stadler, who has been coming to Maui for 10 years, said he wouldnt hesitate to go out in the ocean once the beach is reopened.

You always think about it when youre in the water, but I think thats like real life - if you get on the road you can also get killed, he said

Sincerbeaux also said he wouldnt be deterred from sailing the waters off Kanaha. It wont keep me from it, but Im sure Ill be thinking about it.

Maui County Chief of Aquatics Marian Feenstra said yesterdays incident shows the importance of equipping beach lifeguards with rescue skis and sleds so they can respond quickly to emergencies. It would have taken much longer to bring Goenvec to safety if officials had to rely on the Department
of Fire Control to launch its rescue boat from Kahului Harbor, she said.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
joeyyyy



Joined: 18 Jul 2000
Posts: 162

PostPosted: Thu Aug 17, 2000 12:42 am    Post subject: RE: Shark attack Reply with quote

Wow, I always thought that windsurfing was a much more safer sport when it came to sharks, as aposed to say surfing.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
berky



Joined: 31 Mar 1998
Posts: 20

PostPosted: Thu Aug 17, 2000 4:08 pm    Post subject: RE: Shark attack Reply with quote

Youve never been to Maui have you prozac?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
spyder



Joined: 24 Sep 1996
Posts: 2790
Location: oahu

PostPosted: Mon Aug 21, 2000 6:55 pm    Post subject: Tips to Avoid Shark Attack Reply with quote

Ten Tips to Avoid A Shark Attack:

1. Swim, surf or dive with other people, and dont move too far away from assistance.

2. Stay out of the water at dawn, dusk and night when some species of sharks move inshore to feed.

3. Do not enter the water if you have open wounds or are bleeding in any way. Sharks can detect blood and body fluids in very small concentrations.

4. Avoid murky waters, harbor entrances, and other areas near stream mouths (especially after
heavy rains), channels or steep drop offs. These types of waters are are known to be frequented by sharks.

5. Do not wear high-contrast clothing or shiny jewelry. Sharks see contrast very well.

6. Refrain from excessive splashing; keep pets which swim erratically, out of the water. Sharks are known to be attracted to such activity.

7. Do not enter the water if sharks are are known to be present, and leave the water quickly and calmly if one is sighted. Do not provoke or harass a shark, even a small one.

8. Be alert to the activity of fish or turtles. If they start to behave erratically, leave the water.A shark may be present.

9. Remove speared fish from the water or tow them a safe distance beyond you. Do not swim near people fishing or spear fishing. Stay away from dead animals in the water.

10. Swim or surf at beaches patrolled by lifeguards, and follow their advic
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
spyder



Joined: 24 Sep 1996
Posts: 2790
Location: oahu

PostPosted: Mon Aug 21, 2000 7:07 pm    Post subject: RE: Shark attack Reply with quote

This prompted me to check out shark info on the web. Lots of data out there.

Overall it still seems pretty unlikely that you will be attacked. Most that are attacked survive, bites to the leg or arm. US has a large percentage of attacks, mostly in CA and Oregon. Interestingly in FL, gator attacks outnumber Shark attacks.

A much smaller percentage of attacks in Hawaii, with Oahu leading in the percentage around the islands. But that figures, since Oahu has the highest population/tourism.

between years 1580-1999, the Shark Attack areas rank as follows:

USA ...............659
Australia .........315
Africa .............281
Pacific Islands 259
Asia ...............132
Hawaii .............96
South America .92
Antilles+Bahamas 75
Central America 69
Europe .............35
Bermuda ............9

check out :
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/statistics/statistics.htm
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
mgmitch



Joined: 24 Jun 1997
Posts: 5

PostPosted: Thu Aug 24, 2000 6:24 pm    Post subject: RE: Shark attack Reply with quote

Thats true sharks gotta eat too. Lets feed them Prozac (maybe then theyll be happy?)
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
stumpp



Joined: 20 Apr 2000
Posts: 15

PostPosted: Fri Sep 08, 2000 4:09 pm    Post subject: RE: Shark attack Reply with quote

Interesting data, but it understates the risk. Statistics show that few people die of lightning in this country but if you stand out in a field in thunderstorms with, say, a carbon fiber mast, your probability of getting zapped goes way, way up. Not too many people in this country are in the water 1 mile offshore (like this guy, and most kahana sailors) in swells looking like food to the locals. I would say the odds go way up for these folk. Also, many many south pacific sailors in WW-II were lost to sharks when their ships were shot out from underneath them. The current theory that sharks wont eat you is politically correct but factually incorrect science. Finally, statistics show that shark attacks in Hawaii have tended to cluster -- Several occurring in one year, and then nothing for several years. Not sure why, but the odds appear to go way up if sharks have been spotted in the neighborhood, or there has been a recent attack. A maui west side beach was closed only a couple of days before this due to shark sightings. QED. Oh, and for anyone who hasnt followed this story, the guy lived, but spent weeks in the hospital, is horribly scarred and will have to wear a leg brace for the rest of his life. Get those water starts down...
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gavinjge



Joined: 12 Sep 2002
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Mon Sep 16, 2002 10:02 pm    Post subject: RE: Shark attack Reply with quote

are there any sharks in sf bay i know there are sharks at crissy but anywhere else?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    iWindsurf Community Forum Index -> Windsurfing Discussion All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
You can attach files in this forum
You can download files in this forum

myiW | Weather | Community | Membership | Support | Log in
like us on facebook
© Copyright 1999-2007 WeatherFlow, Inc Contact Us Ad Marketplace

Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group