{"id":493,"date":"2026-05-23T07:34:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T07:34:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=493"},"modified":"2026-05-23T07:34:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T07:34:58","slug":"maui-couple-fends-off-tiger-shark-in-frightening-olowalu-encounter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=493","title":{"rendered":"Maui couple fends off tiger shark in frightening Olowalu encounter"},"content":{"rendered":"
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OLOWALU, MAUI (HawaiiNewsNow) – A Maui couple came face to face with one of nature\u2019s strongest predators in the waters off Maui on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Read more Man accused of ramming stolen truck into police vehicles appears in court<\/a><\/p>\n

Cheslei Akima and Alika Dickerson were paddling in waters off Olowalu when the calm and serene afternoon turned into a frightening experience.<\/p>\n

They were more than a mile offshore when it happened.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of a sudden, like 10 feet in front of the kayak, a fin sticks up, and I\u2019m thinking to myself, \u2018What is that?\u2019 And then it starts coming at us,\u201d Akima said.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

It was a tiger shark they say was larger than their 12-foot kayak. Akima says she could see the stripes of it clear as day.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe shark then like latches on to the side of the kayak, and he\u2019s just shaking us, and he wouldn\u2019t let go,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Dickerson sprung into action and threw punches at the shark. The first two strikes did nothing.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the third time it finally just let go. It sank down a little bit and just splashed us with its tail swimming away and then I was just, I was in shock,\u201d Dickerson said.<\/p>\n

Read more Gov. Green appoints Makai Freitas to UH Board of Regents<\/a><\/p>\n

They immediately headed back to shore, unsure if their Kayak was taking on water. The bite marks left on the kayak were proof of their terrifying encounter.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was just so crazy,\u201d Akima said.<\/p>\n

They have encountered sharks in that same area before, but nowhere near this aggressive.<\/p>\n

And there might be some science behind it, worth warning others.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

University of Hawaii Marine Biologists tracked shark behavior around Hawaii for years, and have found that Olowalu is actually a mating hub for tiger sharks. Timing of their mating activities also overlaps with humpback season \u2013 indicating sharks are also feeding there.<\/p>\n

Akima and Dickerson encourage others who venture into Olowalu waters to be prepared with life-saving equipment. They also say this experience isn\u2019t stopping them from jumping back in the water.<\/p>\n

\u201cGotta get back. Yeah, we\u2019re actually determined to go back this weekend,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n

Read more Japanese company seeks first permit to import liquefied natural gas to Oahu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Cheslei Akima and Alika Dickerson were paddling in waters off Olowalu when a tiger shark bit their kayak and refused to let go.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":492,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-493","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMaui couple fends off tiger shark in frightening Olowalu encounter - Hawaii Moving Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=493\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Maui couple fends off tiger shark in frightening Olowalu encounter - Hawaii Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cheslei Akima and Alika Dickerson were paddling in waters off Olowalu when a tiger shark bit their kayak and refused to let go.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\/?p=493\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Hawaii Moving Insider\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-23T07:34:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=493#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=493\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/590d72f16cb0f571fd45812a3c7ea1d0\"},\"headline\":\"Maui couple fends off tiger shark in frightening Olowalu encounter\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-23T07:34:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=493\"},\"wordCount\":388,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=493#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/d2ff5d45264ed1957511ad6966fb43ff.avif\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=493#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=493\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/hawaiimovinginsider.com\\\/?p=493\",\"name\":\"Maui couple fends off tiger shark in frightening Olowalu encounter - 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