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Shark signs to go Permanent shark warning signs at Olowalu Beach on Maui may be up just in time for the summer tourist season, according to state Land Board members.
up at Maui beach
State officials consider different
designs that will warn
visitors at Olowalu BeachBy Rod Antone
rantone@starbulletin.comLand Board Chairman Gil Coloma-Agaran said after a briefing yesterday that the signs may be posted in about a month's time, depending on how long it takes to manufacture them.
"This is the responsibility of the state, and if we need to give information and we're concerned of the safety of people who come to this area, we need to take action," Coloma-Agaran said. "It's not something that we're going to put up to a popular vote."
Coloma-Agaran said he thinks about seven to eight signs should be sufficient for the half-mile stretch of beach in West Maui where there have been three shark attacks -- one of them fatal -- in the last 11 years.
The most recent nonfatal attack took place on Jan. 1 and involved a California man who said he would not have snorkeled at Olowalu had he known of prior shark attacks there.
"Olowalu seems to be kind of unique because of the combination of three attacks in a relatively short period of time," said Randy Honebrink of the state Shark Task Force. "People who live on Maui are aware of that, but people that come from other places are not aware of that."
For locals, Olowalu is a popular spot to go spearfishing, camping, have picnics and surf, while tourists sometimes stop to kayak and snorkel.
Despite the many attractions, however, Honebrink points out that it is an unguarded beach, another reason for the signs to go up.
"This has received a lot of media attention," he said. "If somebody else is bit there after all this discussion has taken place and there wasn't a sign put up, it's not going to be pretty."
While Land Board members were not against posting permanent shark warning signs, some did have questions about the sign itself.
A paper draft of a proposed sign showed a 12-inch-wide by 18-inch-high sign that will be made with aluminum and says, "Caution" and "Sharks may be present" with a picture of a shark in the center.
"Are they going to assume that sharks are a bad thing?" questioned board member Tim Johns. "What are we trying to say here?"
By contrast, an example of a shark warning sign in Australia was a bit more noticeable. A Botany Bay sign states in red letters "DANGER" and "Sharks in Botany Bay" and features a larger picture of a shark complete with a sharp-toothed smile.
"It kind of gets the point across," admitted Honebrink.
Whatever the signs look like, Honebrink said, they will likely be mounted on metal posts to try and prevent theft. State conservation officers are also expected to monitor the signs on a regular basis once they go up to prevent vandalism and theft, and to check the integrity of the footings or base of the sign.
Honebrink warned, however, he did not want the Olowalu case to set a precedent for other beaches.
He asks that any decision to place permanent signs at other locations should be done on a case-by-case basis.
"We just have to do what is best for this particular situation," he said.