A woman snorkeling with her husband off South Maui has been reported missing after being allegedly bitten by a shark, Hawaii officials said.

According to Hawaii News Now, first responders arrived at Keawakapu Point before noon Thursday after the woman's unnamed husband called the police.

Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) said the husband reported that while they were snorkeling, he saw a large shark swim by but could not see his wife. 

He noted that the shark swam by several times, and he had to fight off two shark attacks. The husband said he went back to shore after he was unable to locate his wife.

According to Fox News, witnesses said the incident occurred about 50 yards from shore, and first responders tried "to account for all individuals who may have been involved."

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Search for the Missing Woman in Hawaii Continues

Authorities did not identify the woman but said she was a 60-year-old woman from Washington State. The woman's husband said only parts of his wife's bathing suit and snorkeling gear were washed up on the beach.

DLNR said state and county crews ended their search around Friday noon after they failed to find the woman. However, the U.S. Coast Guard continues to look for her.

DLNR spokesperson Dan Dennison said emergency crews immediately began an aerial and water search for the woman after she was reported missing, New York Post reported.

"The Maui Fire Department has multiple firefighters on skis and diving and MFD Air 1, and U.S. Coast Guard aircraft are conducting aerial searches... The MFD rescue boat is also responding," the DLNR noted.

According to Dennison, there had been no reports of a shark sighting since the incident, but authorities have urged beachgoers to avoid the area and posted shark warning signs.

A Coast Guard spokesperson said the search had to be called off at midnight due to strong winds that affected even the helicopter flight, but it resumed early Friday morning.

Statistics of Shark Attacks in Hawaii

Last September, a 51-year-old woman from France was also attacked by a shark while snorkeling off the coast of Maui's northernmost Paia Bay. Access to several beaches was restricted for a few days after the incident.

The woman was sent to Maui Memorial Hospital with severe injuries and eventually recovered. There have been 1,022 reports of shark attacks in the United States since 1670, with 36 verified fatalities as of 2013.

In Hawaii alone, there have been 116 reported shark attacks since 1828, with eight fatalities. According to Maui Information Guide, two to three shark attacks occur every year in Hawaii and a fatality about every 23 years.

Sharks are incredibly advanced creatures that lived before the time of the dinosaurs. It is believed that sharks play an essential role in oceans' health by removing sick or weak fish, allowing healthy and stronger ones to breed.

Due to overfishing, most shark species have seen a 50% decline in population in the last 20 years. The loss of these sharks has had a profound effect on marine ecosystems.

As far as Hawaiian sharks go, tiger sharks are the deadliest. Tiger sharks are highly effective inshore predators that sometimes mistake humans for other marine animals they usually eat.

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This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Bert Hoover

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