When she came face-to-face with a hammerhead shark while snorkeling at Kaneohe Bay in July 2021, instead of feeling fear, Amanda Penrod, a senior majoring in English from San Diego, California, said the only word that came to her mind was “brother.”
For her, the shark encounter was a “godly experience.” She explained, “The only thing I felt in that moment was peace, and I knew I would be okay.” She advised others to “Respect the sharks.”
Scotty Eastwood, a junior majoring in hospitality and tourism management from Laie, added, “Sharks mean well. They are not [people’s] enemies.”
Eastwood said his encounter involved a dorsal fin swimming towards him in an S shape, 40 feet offshore between him and Bikini Beach.
After diving into the ocean and holding his breath for one to two minutes, Eastwood said he came up and noticed some girls on shore pointing and freaking out about something. He said he then noticed the dorsal fin of a black tip shark and calmly swam in a diagonal towards the shore.
He warned people to be aware of their surroundings no matter where they are because “There’s a lot of unknowns that come with the ocean in general, like waves or swells, or random things that can hurt [them].”
Eels, jellyfish and sharks are just some of the dangers in the ocean, Eastwood explained. He added people should know the risks involved while still having fun and respecting the ocean.
He said if someone ever comes into contact with a shark, they should “Stay calm, give it some space if [they] can and don’t turn [their] back to it.” He continued, advising them to “Use self-defense and punch it in the nose if it charges [them].”
Penrod explained after seeing the shark, she calmly shouted, “‘Shark!’” to warn others who were nearby, then directed the shark band on her ankle towards the shark and it swam away.
Just six months before the encounter, Penrod said she felt prompted to get a shark band, which helps her feel safer in the water. “Be aware the ocean is a place [people go] to visit. It is a shark’s home,” said Penrod. “Be alert and be aware.”