Shark warning issued in Hawaii after surfer attacked

HONOLULU — Hawaiian officials are urging swimmers and surfers to be wary of sharks after a surfer was bitten and reports continue of sharks in nearshore ocean waters.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources issued the shark advisory today, after a 40-year-old man was bitten Tuesday by a shark in Kahana Bay on Oahu, on the island's windward shore.

Todd Murashige remains hospitalized in stable condition with injuries to his right leg and fingers. He was attacked while sitting on his surfboard 300 yards from shore.

It was the second shark attack in Hawaii this year. A woman was bitten July 25 while snorkeling off Makaha in Oahu. There also have been shark sightings off the Big Island of Hawaii, and several parks along its Kona coast were closed in recent days because of shark sightings, including the popular Hapuna Beach park.

Department Chairwoman Laura Thielen says people shouldn't enter the water were shark warning signs are posted. She says caution should be exercised even where no signs are posted.

Kristin Jackson of Seattle Times Travel contributed to this report.