Most Hawaii Shark Attacks Happen on Maui; Here’s Why (Video)

Dashel Pierson
·2 min read
100

On Monday, a surfer was attacked by a shark on Maui.

The victim, a 45-year-old woman, was launched into the air during the attack, landing on top of the shark, and severing her leash in the process. Luckily, she got away with minor injuries; but officials closed nearby beaches out of caution, regardless.

As it turns out, Maui is the Hawaiian capital for shark attacks (sort of like a regional version of New Smyrna Beach, aka the “shark bite capital of the world,” in Florida). But why? Why do more attacks happen on Maui than any other Hawaiian island?

According to the International Shark Attack File, Maui leads Hawaii in shark attacks – it has 73 confirmed unprovoked attacks since 1828, compared to Oahu, the next island down on the list, which clocked a total of 42.

So, in the National Geographic special above, entitled “Maui Shark Mystery,” a team of experts attempt to answer why Maui is such a shark attack hotspot.

After tagging tiger sharks to monitor their movements, they found something interesting:

“The data revealed something astonishing,” the narrator says. “Tiger sharks across Hawaii stick to their home islands most of the year. Then, during the winter, they converge on Maui. The scientific community was baffled.”

They strap cameras to the sharks, too, which finds:

“The tagged male pursues a female in what Carl [Meyer, Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology] thinks is an attempt to mate, a behavior never before seen with tiger sharks.”

So, tiger sharks are likely congregating on Maui for mating. And tigers are some of the most aggressive sharks in the water. With more tiger sharks amassing in one area, it makes sense why there are more attacks seen on Maui.

For more shark science, put on your marine biology nerd cap and check out the full episode above; it’s worth a watch.

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