KIHEI, Maui — Four miles of coastline that contain some of Maui's most popular beaches were expected to remain closed this morning after a snorkeler was bitten on the leg by a shark yesterday at Keawakapu Beach.

The woman was carried to the beach by bystanders and taken by ambulance to Maui Memorial Medical Center, where she underwent surgery for deep wounds to her leg. Witnesses said she was calm and talking while receiving first aid.

"She was so poised. I was amazed at how well she held herself together," said Amon Aquarian, 58, a regular Keawakapu beachgoer who helped her.

The type of shark involved is not known, but tiger sharks are the likely culprit in most attacks in Hawaiian waters.

BEACHES CLOSED

The county's three Kama'ole Beach Parks were closed after the report by the paddleboarder, but Keawakapu was not included because no one had been injured. In the case of a shark sighting, only the immediate area is subject to a brief closure while the waters are monitored for shark activity, said Ocean Safety Capt. Jeff Meadows.

The protocol after an actual shark attack includes closure of the shore a mile in each direction for the rest of the day. Ocean safety and state DLNR officers were to make checks along the coast this morning before deciding whether to reopen the beaches from Kalama Park to the Grand Wailea Resort.

Yesterday's attack occurred at the same beach where a 29-year-old California man was bitten on the hand Dec. 21, 2005, while swimming 200 to 400 yards from shore.

On Nov. 11, 2006, a 29-year-old man from Vancouver, British Columbia, was bitten on the hand and leg while swimming at Kama'ole Beach Park II, and on Feb. 27, 2006, a 15-year-old girl was bitten on the leg while wading in shallow water at Makena, along the same South Maui coastline.

The Kihei-Wailea-Makena shoreline is popular with swimmers, snorkelers, surfers, kayakers and canoe paddlers, but also with sea turtles — the favorite prey of tiger sharks.

Turtles enjoy state and federal wildlife protection, and sharks are no longer systematically hunted to the extent they were in decades past, said marine biologist John Naughton with NOAA Fisheries Service. As a result, the sea turtle and shark populations in Hawai'i have been increasing.

When the turtles come close to shore, tigers may follow, putting them in closer contact with people, he said. Still, tiger sharks are not interested in hunting humans, according to Naughton, and most sharks attacks are a case of mistaken identity.

"Typically it's one bite and they take off," he said. "Tiger sharks are big, and if it had wanted to eat that lady, it could have in a heartbeat."

Naughton said tiger sharks are evenly distributed throughout the Hawaiian Islands, and there is no indication they are more prevalent in South Maui than anywhere else. The fact there are more people in the water along that coast and more people watching for sharks may explain why there are more sightings there, he said.

"I don't think there's anything going on that's attracting sharks," he said. "Shark attacks seem to happen in spurts all over. I wouldn't say we're seeing more attacks."

SECOND REPORT THIS YEAR

The Keawakapu incident was the second reported shark-human encounter in Hawai'i this year. On Jan. 5, an 8- to 10-foot tiger shark chomped on a surfer's board at Waiokapua Bay off Mana, Kaua'i.

There are an average of three to five shark attacks in Hawai'i annually. In 2006 there were four, two each on Maui and O'ahu. In 2005 there were four shark attacks on Maui and one on O'ahu, while in 2004 there was one each on Maui, Moloka'i, Kaua'i and the Big Island.

Shark researcher Carl Meyer of the Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology said there are not enough shark attacks to be able to make a clear statement about whether ocean users are more at risk at Kihei or any other area.

"These attacks are happening at such a low frequency that we can't say anything statistically about whether these are clusters or not," he said.

Meyer said the number of interactions between people and sharks are likely to be higher in areas where there are more people in the water simply because there are more opportunities for contact.

"Generally speaking, these attacks may have a lot more to do with what people do than what sharks do," Meyer said.

Visitor Jack Acheatel, 64, of Los Angeles, has been coming to Maui for 30 years and said the latest shark attack has made him a little apprehensive about going back into the ocean. "I have my little blow-up raft, and I sit there with my arms hanging out over the sides and think about nothing in the world. Now I'm not so sure. I don't think I'm going to swim 200 to 300 yards out there like I used to," he said.

Jenny Swick, 55, of Big Sky, Mont., said wildlife threats are nothing new to her. "The sharks are out there," she shrugged. "I live in Montana with bears and buffalo. You give them some space, and they'll leave you alone."