People surf off of Launiupoko Beach Park near Lahaina, Hawaii, in October. A surfer died after encountering a shark on Maui on Saturday.
Mario Tama/Getty Images
A 39-year-old surfer has died in Hawaii after sustaining injuries in a “shark encounter,” the Maui Police Department said over the weekend.
Police responded to the beach area of 93 Hana Highway in Paia at around 11:19 a.m. local time Saturday.
There they found lifeguards transporting the victim, later identified as Jason Carter of Haiku, to shore via jet ski.
First responders performed life-saving measures onshore before medical personnel transported Carter to the Maui Memorial Medical Center for further treatment.
Authorities said Carter later succumbed to his injuries and died.
“The Maui Police Department extends our deepest condolences to Mr. Carter’s family and friends,” the police statement said.
Officials added the preliminary investigation shows no sign of foul play but that the investigation is ongoing. An autopsy has also been scheduled, police said.
Maui County wrote in a post on Instagram that Carter had been surfing at the time of the incident, which occurred around 11:12 a.m. local time, according to the Maui Fire Department.
Baldwin Beach Park and Lower Pā’ia Park were closed on Saturday, and officials were patrolling the area on shore and on jet skis, the county added.
Hawaii’s Department of Land and Natural Resources said Saturday that shark warning signs had been posted 1 mile in either direction from the incident site in accordance with standard procedures.
According to the International Shark Attack File at the Florida Museum of Natural History, Hawaii has seenat least 184 attacks since the early 19th century. That is second only to Florida, which has a documented 912 attacks.
