Shark kills 39-year-old surfer off Maui, Hawaii officials say. Beaches closed

A 39-year-old man surfing off Maui died following a shark attack, Hawaii officials reported.

Police responded at 11:19 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 30, to a beach on Paia Bay to find lifeguards carrying the injured man to shore on a jet ski, the County of Maui said in a news release.

The man, a Haiku, Hawaii, resident, was taken to a hospital, where he later died of his injuries, officials said. No details on his injuries were provided.

Officials identified him Sunday, Dec. 31, as Jason Carter.

Nearby beaches were closed and warning signs were posted, officials said.

What to know about shark attacks

Shark attacks are “extremely rare,” according to John Carlson of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

“You have a better chance of getting in a car accident and being injured on your way to the beach than you do actually when you get to go swimming,” he said in a video posted to NOAA’s website.

In 2022, the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File investigated 108 shark-human interactions worldwide. Of those interactions, 57 were unprovoked shark bites, and there were nine “shark-related fatalities.”

If you see a shark in the water, however, don’t panic, Richard Peirce, former chair of the Shark Trust and Shark Conservation Society, told CNN.

“Don’t start splashing around – you’re just going to excite, incite and encourage the shark’s interest,” he told the news outlet.

Instead, maintain eye contact with the shark and read its body language. If the shark appears to be in “attack mode,” you should make yourself as large as possible, CNN reported. If it seems to just be swimming by, try to stay small.

If the shark attacks, experts told CNN you shouldn’t play dead.

“You must try and keep the animal in sight and very slowly and gently try and swim backwards and get into shallow water,” Peirce told CNN. “Again, you’ve got to be careful – large sharks can attack in very shallow depths.”

This story was originally published December 31, 2023 at 11:54 AM with the headline "Shark kills 39-year-old surfer off Maui, Hawaii officials say. Beaches closed."