An 11-year-old girl in Hawaii was bitten on her foot by what officials believe may have been a shark while at a popular beach on Saturday, according to local reports.
The incident happened just before 1:30 p.m. at a spot known among surfers as “Rainbows,” located in Kaaawa on the island of Oahu, the Honolulu Star Advertiser reported.
The child, who was not publicly named, suffered what appeared to be a shark bite on her left foot, an EMS spokesperson told the paper.
The injury was not life-threatening, and the girl’s parents declined treatment at an emergency room, EMS said.
The reported shark bite occurred in the waters off Kaaawa on Saturday. (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, File)
A witness told the newspaper that they saw what appeared to be a small reef shark in the waters off the beach.
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The incident is the first reported shark encounter in Hawaii in 2024, according to officials. (Dave J Hogan/Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
The incident would mark Hawaii’s first shark encounter of 2024, Hawaii News Now reported, citing the Department of Land and Natural Resources.
In December, a 39-year-old man was killed after an encounter with a shark while surfing off Maui’s northern shore.
