There has been a lot of speculation as to why a tiger shark would ram a kayak so hard, with no cautious sniffing around at all. Some believed fish blood or bait had attracted the shark. Others believed the shark was attracted to my foot in the water, or the floating paddle.
Hopefully this follow up video answers most questions surrounding the incident that happened about 11 months ago.
That sounds like a very probable reason for its aggressive behavior.
Thanks Rich. I’d like to think it won’t happen again unless a dying seal is nearby. 🙂
In 1980 i was surfing at wai ki ki and got pulled out about 3/4 mile by the current. They told me that as long as i was inside the reef wall i was safe. I don’t know if that is or was true but i remember being scared as “ fill in the expletive here”. I layed down on the board and padded like crazy and finally got back in. I felt a little comfort in believing what i had heard but, now ,thinking back on that experience, i still cringe when i imagine what could have happened.
There have been tiger sharks spotted in Ala Moana and Waikiki this year, and a surfer’s board got bitten a few months ago.
Attacks are rare in that area but there seem to be more than in past eras.