California man killed in Hawaii shark attack
A 65-year-old California became the first victim of a fatal shark attack in Hawaii since 2015.
He was in the water about 60 yards from the shoreline of Ka’anapali Beach Park when the shark struck.
He was named by the media as Thomas Smiley of Sacramento.
According to witness Allison Keller he was pulled out of the water unconscious and it was obviously a serious attack. .
"I saw some blood on his stomach and it looked like the skin on his wrist was just torn off. His entire left leg from his knee down was just missing," Keller told Hawaii News Now.
He was given CPR but never regained consciousness.
The shark species has not been confirmed but displayed the hallmarks of a tiger shark attack, according to one shark expert.
The last fatal shark attack in Hawaii was in 2015, when a snorkeler was killed off the Maui coast.
According to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File, there were 66 reported shark attacks globally in 2018.
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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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