OWEN HOWSON / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-BULLETIN A 6- to 8-foot-long hammerhead shark, seen here Monday at Kamaole Beach, has been spotted at South Maui beaches.

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WAILUKU » An approximately 6- to 8-foot-long hammerhead shark has been cruising the South Maui shoreline this week, closing beaches and swimming close enough to shore that people could wade in to pose for photographs.

The shark, which an expert suspects is sick, came within a few feet of shore on Monday at Kamaole Beach Park I.

"It was crazy. There were people standing near it in the water getting their pictures taken," recalled Owen Howson.

The shark was sighted at about 10 a.m. yesterday at Wailea's Ulua Beach, which was then closed for about 4 1/2 hours until it moved off.

Officials closed Keawakapu Beach in South Maui Sunday morning, and Kamaole I was closed Sunday evening after a shark sighting. The shark was sighted Monday morning, prompting officials to close Kamaole I, II and III.

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OWEN HOWSON / SPECIAL TO THE STAR-BULLETIN A crowd gathered Monday at Maui's Kamaole Beach Park to observe a hammerhead shark, estimated at 6 to 8 feet long, swim close to shore. It has been spotted up and down the South Maui shoreline in the past few days.

WAILUKU » A hammerhead shark has been up and down the South Maui shoreline this week, prompting lifeguards to close beach parks and visitors to snap photographs.

"It was pretty close to shore," said Alfa Guzman, who works for a beach activities business in Wailea.

Guzman estimated the shark was within 100 feet of shore.

She said the shark had been there a couple of days ago.

State and county officials closed Keawakapu Beach in South Maui Sunday morning for about 4 1/2 hours, and Kamaole I was closed Sunday evening after a shark sighting.

The shark, moving north, was sighted swimming Monday morning, prompting officials to close Kamaole Beach Park I, II and III. It has apparently moved south again, this time as far as Wailea.

One of the largest crowds of onlookers gathered Monday at Kamaole Beach Park I, where the shark was a few feet from shore.

"It was crazy. There were people standing near it in the water getting their pictures taken," recalled Owen Howson.

Howson, a Kihei resident, said he was taking his evening walk on the beach at about 5:40 p.m. Monday when he saw people standing on the beach and pointing in the shark's direction.

He said the shark was near the shoreline for 20 to 25 minutes, just circling around and perhaps feeding.

He said while the shark was near the shoreline, there were people 75 feet away swimming.

"It wasn't huge, but it was the kind of shark you would not want to run into," Howson said.

State official Russell Sparks said he initially thought the shark might be planning to have pups in South Maui waters.

But Sparks, a state aquatics education specialist on Maui, said based on recent reports, it appears the shark might be sick and seems to have a growth on its head.

"It's really not displaying much aggression," Sparks said. "Lifeguards describe it as being emaciated-looking."

But he said its presence poses a potential risk to ocean users.

Sparks said the shark appears to be a scalloped hammerhead shark, which can normally grow 12 to 13 feet long, sometimes as long as 15 feet. He said adult scalloped hammerheads give birth in Kahului Harbor and also in near-shore areas of South Maui.

Maui County water safety official Archie Kalepa said he had never seen a shark display this kind of behavior in his 25 years as a lifeguard.

"It's really odd, hanging around and close to shore," Kalepa said.