They've been the subject of contempt and reverence, dread and fascination, sanctity and exploitation, scientific and commercial pursuit. More than some of us might suspect, sharks of many species, sizes, and temperaments inhabit the seas around Hawaii. Most go unseen by the oceangoing public as the animals go about the everyday business of survival. But as more people take to the water, it's inevitable that paths will cross. Though most incidents are just sightings, there are occasional attacks and for those few, albeit harrowing events, our toothy friends are condemned as blood thirsty man eaters by an uneducated sector of the public.

    
Hawaii's shark population consists mainly of small to medium sized reef sharks in the 6' range, including the Galapagos, Sandbar, Gray, and Blacktip. Although they're known to steal a speared fish or two from local divers, these speedy guys are usually pretty well behaved if left alone. Hammerheads get quite large, but haven't been involved in many reported attacks. There are however, two species in particular that are distinct dangers to man. The notorious Tiger Shark is an ominous and authoritative presence in Hawaii. These powerful creatures can grow to up to 18' in length and weigh over 3,000 lbs. They inhabit both deep and shallow waters and are basically on the hunt 24/7. Although Tigers can appear deceptively sluggish at times, they're very efficient hunters, using stealth and explosiveness as primary weapons. They're feared and respected by local surfers and divers because of their unpredictability and record of lethal attacks on humans. "Once it decides to attack, a Tiger Shark will just keep coming at you," says renowned California shark expert Ralph S. Collier, "They're extremely unpredictable and will eat just about anything. One was found with a 50 lb. roll of tar paper in its stomach."  


Until fairly recently, many local people would not acknowledge that Great White Sharks inhabited Hawaiian waters. Sporadic sightings from divers and boaters have been dismissed as misidentifications or tall fish stories. The skeptics were officially silenced when on December 28th, 2005, a North Shore shark dive operation recorded an encounter with an immense 20' female White Shark just a few miles off Haleiwa (more on this in Part II). The video and photographic evidence was vivid and indisputable. "Although it's not certain whether they go to Hawaii to mate or just explore, White sharks have been visiting Hawaii for centuries and marine biologists here have been tracking their migrations from California for many years," said Collier. "They usually migrate south from Northern California to islands off of Mexico to mate, and the juvenile White sharks follow the Grunion (sardine-like fish) runs back north on their returns."


I've seen sharks a number of times while in the water, and have often had that spooky intuition, or dreaded "sharky feeling," while out surfing alone. There aren't many recreational activities around where you face the very real possibility of being eaten alive. I openly admit that the fear is always there, lurking. Ironically, my most traumatic shark experience didn't even occur in the water. I was walking up a craggy beach to a jump off spot, and in the pre-dawn dimness, was suddenly hit by a most retched, overpowering stench. I turned slightly to my left and there laid a dead, rotting 7' shark that looked to have washed up on the reef overnight. Adding to the olfactory funfest, I saw that the carcass had a huge, crescent shaped bite torn out of its dorsal area, no doubt inflicted by a bigger shark!  Sheez, talk about a major pre-surf buzz kill!!!  Despite the unexpected horror show, the waves were too perfect to pass up, so we intrepid dawn patrollers sucked it up and went surfing anyway. Needless to say, we sat wide-eyed, hyper alert and silent in the lineup as we mulled our ill-chosen entry into the lower fifth of the food chain. I can't help but think that this wouldn't have been a very popular decision with my mom ("I didn't raise you to be fish food Mister!") and the wife ("You have a family to support Mister!").


In ancient and modern Hawaiian culture, the shark "Aumakua" holds a sacred connection and reverence, where they're deified as guardian allies, gods, or incarnations of deceased relatives. Aumakua can take shape in any and all forms, including clouds, trees, birds, etc., but because of the Hawaiians' deep rooted spiritual affinity and custodial relationship with the ocean, sharks are often the chosen entity. Their powerful and distinguished countenance is the perfect quintessence of the Hawaiian cultural ideal. As much as any organized nature conservancy, Hawaiians remain unwaveringly vigilant and protective of these animals and their ocean environments.


In the end, and with all the human relativity and spectacle aside, the shark's rightful presence in the ocean and their absolutely crucial role in the marine eco-system are their most essential attributes. Most importantly, sharks execute at nature's discretion as both predator and scavenger, and the trickle down effect keeps all downline species in check, thereby preserving a healthy and viable play between all the ocean's species and habitats. Without their vital contribution, its systems are destabilized and the whole Earth suffers. And so, overzealous shark culling programs, shark fishing, shark finning operations, and indiscriminate thrill kills will eventually come around to bite us in the Okole (literally and figuratively). We'll look into the public controversy and emotion surrounding Hawaii's commercial shark tourism industry in Part II.

* A big Mahalo to Ralph S. Collier and Chuck Babbitt for their vast expertise and superb photographic contributions to this article. For a closer look at their extraordinary work and local shark info, click on these links;

• Shark Research Committee: http://www.sharkresearchcommittee.com
• Chuck Babbitt image galleries: http://photo.net/photos/cbabbitt
• DLNR Hawaii's Sharks site: http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/sharks/index.html

Please be short and to the point, and respect the other voices in the discussion. You may edit and delete comments for up to three days after date of post. We reserve the right to edit or delete inappropriate comments. For more information read our site policies »

In order to comment, you must be logged in. Login | Register | Help

Comment

Denotes required fields.