Shark Attack — T ester 
183 
and by local residents to capture the shark. The 
Fish and Game employees set an 8-hook shark 
setline in the shallow water off the reef where 
the incident had taken place but without suc- 
cess. In the meantime, Piper Cub pilots search- 
ing the area spotted two schools of sharks in 
the adjacent waters of Kailua Bay (Fig. 1). 
One group of three large sharks was reported 
cruising just off Flat Island, 200 yards offshore 
from the public beach. The second school of 
about a dozen sharks was spotted on the north 
end of the bay. Local residents converged on 
both areas hoping to kill the sharks with high- 
powered rifles but were unsuccessful. 
From December 15 through December 17, 
1958, under the personal direction of C. Eric 
Reppun, President, Board of Agriculture and 
Forestry, and Michio Takata, Director, Division 
of Fish and Game, the Division’s research ves- 
sel "Makua” fished a 24-hook setline (flagline 
or buoyed longline) offshore from the reef in 
about 70-80 feet of water (Fig. 1). The catch 
consisted of three tiger sharks and two sand 
sharks. Two of the tiger sharks were 12 feet in 
length and weighed 750-800 pounds; the third 
was 11 feet in length and weighed 410 pounds. 
The two sand sharks ( Eulamia menisorrah?) 
were eight to nine feet in length and weighed 
about 350 pounds. 
IDENTITY OF THE SHARKS 
It seems most likely that the fatal attack was 
by a large tiger shark ( Galeocerdo cuvieri ) . One 
of the searchers described the shark (to Her- 
bert Mann, Bureau of Commercial Fisheries ) as 
having blotches on its sides and a blunt nose, 
thus eliminating most other local species in- 
cluding the great white shark ( Carcharodon 
carcharias ) . Moreover, in the recent six months 
of shark fishing to assess local abundance, the 
Division’s ship "Makua” has caught only two 
species by setline in inshore water (50-120 feet 
in depth)-— 34 tiger sharks and 33 sand sharks. 
The largest tiger shark taken during this period, 
l4!/2 feet in length and 1,200 pounds in weight, 
approaches the reputed size of the Lanikai killer. 
However, an element of uncertainty is intro- 
duced by Brook Collins’ observation that the 
dorsal fin of the shark appeared black along the 
edge, suggesting some species other than the 
tiger. 
COMMENT ON SHARK ATTACK 
It is noteworthy that the fatal attack occurred 
before the swimmers were aware that a shark 
was in the vicinity. If the boys had been skin 
diving, rather than surfing, they may have dis- 
covered its presence. If the shark surfaced prior 
to the attack, its dorsal fin must have passed un- 
noticed in the rough surface water. 
It is noteworthy that three of the four boys 
exposed to attack were using air mattresses. Ma- 
nipulation of the mattress in pushing, boarding, 
and paddling, requires much more activity 
than does a surfboard. It is possible that the 
shark was attracted to the area by this unusual 
commotion. The vicitm is likely to have been 
threshing his arms and legs extensively while 
attempting to catch the wave which carried 
away his companions. 
Tom Replogle reported that he had seen coco- 
nut floats, such as are used to mark fish traps, 
near the scene of the tragedy. A turtle was also 
observed nearby. It is possible that the shark 
was attracted to the area by fish caught in the 
traps or by the turtle. 
Although there is no on-the-spot record of 
water temperature, it was probably about 23° C. 
This temperature was recorded at the time of 
the tragedy for the salt water system at the 
Hawaii Marine Laboratory, Kaneohe Bay, some 
five miles distant. The water is pumped con- 
tinuously from a depth of about 10 feet. 
SHARK ABUNDANCE 
Although quantitative data are not available 
over a sufficient period of time to measure 
changes in shark abundance, observations by 
fishermen and skin divers indicate the abun- 
dance has increased in the last few years. This 
has been attributed to several possible causes: 
( 1 ) Cessation of shark fishing because of a 
recent law (Hawaii Food, Drug and Cosmetic 
Act, 1941) requiring the labelling of ingredients 
in Japanese-style fish cake. Although most of 
the sharks used for this purpose were taken in- 
cidental to tuna longlining, which is still active, 
it is possible that the fishermen now cut the 
leader line when a shark is captured, allowing 
