How likely is it to be attacked by a shark in Hawaii?
Very unlikely. Shark attacks in Hawaii are rare. On average there are about two to three shark attacks per year. Considering the number of people in Hawaiis waters (there were more than 7 million visitors in Hawaii in 2005), this is a very small number. Surfers and spearfishers seem to be at a higher risk than swimmers. Between 1828 and 2005, a total of 119 shark attacks have been recorded in Hawaii. Twenty-one of these were fatal, the last being in 2004 when a when a surfer was killed off Kahana on Maui. It is good to know that humans are generally not a natural prey of sharks. So when a shark attack occurs, the shark has most likely mistaken the human for another prey. Thats why sharks often times immediately let go of the human once they notice that its not what they thought it is. If humans were on the sharks menu, the shark wouldnt let go, but eat the whole human.
