It was a scary encounter for a young girl in Kailua over the weekend. Anela Rezentes got a startling surprise at Kalama Beach.
Rezentes calls the moment caught on video, a moment she’ll never forget.
“My soul left my body,” said Anela Rezentes, the 6-year-old Kailua-native that got hit by a shark. “I saw a shark. I didn’t notice he was behind my back. So I really wanted to run out. I was really scared.”
“By the time she came out of the water, she was hysterical,” said Sheri Gouveia, mother of Rezentes. “I was like oh my gosh. So I ran up, but I was looking for it but couldn’t see it. I didn’t realize it was actually a shark. That’s what shocked me.”
Experts say based on the video it appears this was a Blacktip shark. This species feeds on fish and they routinely look for food in shallow waters. It’s likely that this shark was chasing fish in the whitewash and not targeting the young girl.
The daughter and mother duo say they’re thankful that everyone is safe.
“Never ever has something like this happened before. She’s pretty much here every other weekend. I guess there really are angels watching over my angel,” Gouveia said.
Shark experts add that the best thing to do in this situation is to get out of the water and give the shark its space.
Watch the video here:
