Shark Attack at Hawaii’s Pohoiki Bay

Story by Elliot Struck

Yesterday, Jimmy Ulualoha Nateahi, 16 years old and better known as Ulu Boi, was attacked by a shark at Dead Trees in Pohoiki Bay, on Hawaii’s Big Island. At 1:30pm a grey, eight-to-10 foot shark sunk it’s teeth into Jimmy’s legs. Ulu’s pals pulled him to shore while his mom, Claire, watched from the beach. She was kind enough to speak with Stab about what her boy had just been through. A quick breeze through social media will reveal that the kid is widely-loved within the surfing community (Sunny Garcia, Reef McIntosh, Makua Rothman, Kelia Moniz, Kamalei Alexander and more sent their well-wishes). And speaking with Claire, it becomes pretty clear where he gets his endearing nature from.

Stab: How’s Ulu doing?
Claire: He has 30 lacerations to his lower extremities, both legs, to the hip. He has over 180 stitches across his two legs. We feel that he’s very fortunate to be here with us still today. He’s such strong boy. It’s a good thing that he’s in good shape, and a good surfer.

What happened? He was out there with a couple of friends and… he was chosen. He got bitten as he was going to take off, he was trying to get up, and on his way up, the shark bit him and pulled him under. He went under two times. He tried to punch the shark, and then he started to swim away.

And you saw it happen? I was on shore calling him in, because he was supposed to fly out last night to Oahu for the ASP Junior Pro at Kuhio Beach. But he told me, “One more wave!” Then I was telling him to come ’cause I saw the shark swimming through a wave. I didn’t realise he got hit, because he was paddling himself away. Then one of our friends, Dallas O’Shaunessy, turned around and told Ulu Boy to go, and Ulu rode the wave up onto shore.

Who got to him first? It was bad timing. We usually have two lifeguards at Pohoiki, but one had gone to relieve the other guy for lunch down at the warm pond a little ways, so there was only one on duty. Dallas O’Shaunessy, who used to work for the lifeguards, but doesn’t anymore, he assisted Nohea Matsuoka (Pohoiki Lifeguard), and did a tourniquet, and basically he was Ulu’s angel. We went up to Pahoa where he was medevaced to the hospital (Hilo Medical Centre).

How did he cope? He was in a lot of shock, but he hung in there. We were all with him. The whole family: My two daughters, my other son and myself. It was horrifying. He’s the baby, he’s youngest, and for something like that to happen, it was just devastating.

When does he get to go home? They got him up to walk on crutches, to take a few steps, because of the blood-clotting. Just a little movement, to help him. But he can go home in about a week and a half, maybe two weeks.

“Am I doing the right thing @john_john_florence?” asks Ulu Boi on Instagram. How ’bout that huck!

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The Department of Land and Natural Resources jammed signs into the ground telling the public to stay outta the water along Pohoiki, and north of Pohoiki to Shacks. Choppers also circled to look for the shark, but it’s yet to be found (Pohoiki will stay closed til monday afternoon. So, now).

Ulu is the fourth shark attack victim in Hawaii in the past month. KOHN 2 reports that “about three weeks ago, a surfer was attacked at White Plains Beach on Oahu. On July 31, a woman was bit in the midsection while swimming at Ulua Beach Park on Maui, and on Thursday, a tourist was attacked at White Rock Beach on Maui. This marks the ninth shark attack this year in Hawaii, compared to 11 last year.”