French tourist in critical condition after shark attack in Hawaii

Bystanders rescued woman from water before medics arrived

A 51-year-old tourist from France was criticially wounded in a shark attack in Hawaii over the weekend.

Police said the woman, who has not been named, was swimming in “murky water” about 40 feet from the shore when she was attacked on Saturday afternoon.

Officers from the Maui Police Department (MPD) were called to the scene at Paia Bay, where bystanders had already rescued the woman from the water and attended to her wounds.

Medic and Fire personnel then took over and she was transported to Maui Memorial Medical Center, where she is thought to remain in a critical condition.

Police did not provide further details about the victim or their condition on Saturday, or the circumstances surrounding the shark attack. The MPD meanwhile added that an investigation is ongoing.

One witness said they see the woman swimming, possibly snorkelling, in the moments before the attack about 100 yards from the shore, said police.

Three beaches on the north shore of the island of Maui were closed in the wake of the attack, and according to authorities were due to reopen on Monday. Those beaches were are Baldwin Beach Park, Lower Paia Beach Park and Kuau Bay Beach Park.

The incident occurred about 98 miles southeast of the Hawaii capital of Honolulu on the island of Oahu.

While it remains unclear how many attacks have occurred this year, authorities say only seven shark attacks were recorded in 2021, none of which were fatal. Numbers are however higher than previous decades, suggesting a rise in shark and human encounters.