Shark Attacks Turtle with Surfer Nearby in Hawaii (Video)

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Feb 10, 2025 4:41 PM ET

Sharks live in the ocean. Surfers do not. We are merely visitors, occasionally entering the domain of sharks (and many other creatures), enjoying all that the ocean has to offer (surfing, swimming, etc.), and then going home. For surfers, sharing the ocean with sharks, that's all just part of the game.

And sharks are gonna do what sharks do – whether humans are around or not.

Like, for example, this video below. It comes from drone specialist and all-things-shark enthusiast Carlos Gauna (aka The Malibu Artist), and shows a tiger shark attacking a turtle on Maui. Meanwhile, not far away, an electric hydrofoil surfer cruises around unsuspectingly at a nearby lineup. The surfer is totally oblivious to what’s happening nearby, blissfully ignorant. But sharks are gonna shark.

For more about the video, we hit up Gauna:

On tiger sharks…

“Tiger sharks are considered among the top three most aggressive species statistically. But as you can see in this video, they, like many of their other 'aggressive' cousins like the white sharks and bull sharks, typically chose to not engage with humans. Statistically speaking, great whites, tigers, and bull sharks account for most of the news grabbing headlines. Mostly due to their size.”

On sharks attacking turtles…

“I've filmed tiger sharks attacking turtles before in Brazil in one of the most interesting sequences I've ever seen. Turtles are known to be a favorite meal for tiger sharks. This is why they are often seen around areas with lots of turtles. Maui, being one of them.”

On the surfer nearby the attack…

“I did not speak to the surfer. He was too far away, but you can clearly see the surfer saw the shark before I arrived and also waves at the drone. It's safe to say surfers in Hawaii understand they are sharing the water with tiger sharks often but willing to coexist with them for the love of their sport. With the amount of people in the water around Maui, it is still remarkably rare to see a tiger shark, and even more rare to be attacked. Regardless, I always encourage folks to pay attention to their surroundings and avoid murky water, especially if there are turtles around.”

Once again, humans are just tourists in the ocean. Sharks live there full-time.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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