HONOLUA BAY, Maui (18 June 2005) -- One of the longest shark-related beach closures in recent memory ended Monday morning when Honolua and Mokuleia bays were reopened at 11 a.m., after state and county officials made sure the coastal waters were free of sharks. For the most part, beaches in the area were closed since Wednesday after reports and sightings of sharks up to 12 feet long. A fish kill near Honolua Bay, a marine life conservation district, was blamed for attracting the sharks, including the dangerous tiger sharks. On Sunday, beaches were reopened but were closed about half an hour later when a 3-foot black tip shark was spotted in Honolua Bay. Even though the beaches were open again Monday, periodic monitoring for sharks will be done around the Honolua Bay area, said Randy Awo, Maui branch chief of enforcement for the state Department of Land and Natural Resources. "We have to be safe," he said. Awo, who has been a state enforcement officer for 18 years, said the beach closures were notable for their duration. "We never had a closure last this long," he said. "It's a long time. It's a lot of resources that were dedicated to that effort, a lot of manpower." State officials also worked with lifeguards from the county Department of Parks and Recreation Ocean Safety Division who assisted with patrolling the shoreline and other duties, Awo said. He said officials were continuing to investigate how hundreds of dead and dying akule, or big-eyed scad, ended up in Honolua Bay last week. Meanwhile, beachgoers welcomed the chance to get back into the water in the Honolua Bay area, although some visitors were disappointed at not seeing sharks in the water on Monday. The recent shark sightings became a tourist attraction, drawing crowds of people to the cliffs above Honolua Bay to watch sharks circling in the water below. New York City resident Mike Mancini said he doesn't get to see sharks in the Big Apple, at least not the fish kind, and had been looking forward to seeing them during his visit to Maui. "You can't see that every day," he said as he left an overlook parking lot at Mokuleia Bay, his video recorder in hand just in case. "That's why I came all the way out here." Mancini said he also drove around Honolua Bay and didn't see any sharks there either. Friends from Eugene, Ore., weren't too disappointed about not seeing sharks in the water. | | "I got to say there are brave souls down there," said Justin Tindel, as he looked down from a Mokuleia Bay lookout. Brian Psiropoulos said he wasn't too disappointed, speculating that he'd probably see a shark at some point during his stay on Maui. But Tindel added: "I don't want to see a tiger (shark)." Friend Bryon Quick agreed, saying: "This is about my minimum tiger shark distance." Nearby D.T. Fleming Beach Park had been closed to swimming since Friday and was reopened Sunday. No beach closure signs were spotted at Mokuleia around noon Monday, and around 40 people were enjoying the beach while swimming, snorkeling and sitting on the sand. Adam Jewell and his girlfriend, Diane Belinsky, were exercising on the sand and planned to go snorkeling later. The two said they knew about the shark sightings but weren't afraid of getting into the water. "I figured (the sharks) were full. . . They are just going to be swimming around tired and full," said Belinsky, a certified scuba diver. "I feel comfortable in the water." Jewell, who was working out for upcoming professional beach volleyball matches on Oahu, said the two planned to go to the beach in the Honolua area on Sunday. Even though the couple said they are adventurous and weren't afraid of the sharks, they thought it wasn't a good idea to ignore the closure signs or get into trouble with authorities. Jewell said they saw two black tip reef sharks and even a tiger shark in Honolua Bay on Sunday. "It was so clear. It was amazing," Belinsky said. The waters at Honolua Bay remained clear and calm on Monday except for ripples caused by the wind. A family could be seen picnicking on shoreline rocks, but no one was seen swimming in the bay around noon. SOURCE - Maui News |
