Authorities in Hawaii are looking for a 60 year old woman who disappeared in south Maui waters on Thursday while snorkeling with her husband.
Authorities began their search after the woman’s husband called 911 just before noon local time (5 p.m. ET) Thursday to report that he had seen a shark swimming by several times and had no was able to find his wife after snorkeling about 50 yards from Keawakapu Point. , Dan Dennison, senior director of communications for Hawaii Land and Natural Resources, told reporters Thursday night.
First responders from the Fire Department, Coast Guard and Resource Conservation and Enforcement Division search the scene in the water and in the air.
Further information on the identity or hometown of the potential victim was not immediately available.
Authorities have urged people to avoid the area where the search is underway and said shark warning signs at the Mana Kai Maui resort at Ulua Point will remain in place until at least noon local time , Friday.
Maui “tends to have a lot of shark activity,” Dennison said Thursday.
Data from Hawaii Land and Natural Resources shows there have been six recorded shark incidents this year, one of which occurred on Maui, not including yesterday’s incident. The most recent incident on Maui before yesterday’s incident was in September, when a diver lost his left arm and two fingers on his right hand after encountering a shark, the data shows.
