I’ve been surfing in Maui since the late 1990s, and I’ve never seen a shark while surfing.
Today, immediately after I paddled out halfway to the lineup, south of Makena, I saw a fin, maybe 1 ft high, quickly slicing through the water. I’ve seen dolphins plenty of times to know they go up and down. This was different!
I yelled out “shark” and pointed to where I saw it, and then the other guys saw the whole shark visible in the face of a swell! I was with Nick Rossi and Ben Gibson.
Needless to say:
- Those that saw the shark were freaked out.
- I couldn’t focus on surfing after I saw the shark.
- I wondered that if we got bit after we knew there was a shark in the water, if other would think we were beyond dumb. Especially after all the recent attacks in Makena.
- Those that did not see the shark had more of an attitude of “doesn’t matter, there’s always sharks out here.” I used to have that attitude. Not any more!