Yasemin Altıntaş and Murat Öz, who represent Türkiye in international open water swimming events, were attacked by a shark while attempting to cross the Molokai Channel off the coast of Hawaii, U.S.
The duo’s effort to swim the 45-kilometer (28-mile) Molokai Channel, considered one of the world’s most challenging open water routes, was cut short due to the shark attack.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), the Turkish athletes explained that after waiting a long time for favorable weather conditions, they began their swim on the evening of May 17 from South Papohaku Beach. After swimming for several hours, they were suddenly attacked by a “cookiecutter” shark, describing the incident as a “huge shock.”
“We had been waiting in Hawaii for 20 days for this swim,” Öz said. “Just when we thought it wouldn’t happen, a narrow weather window opened between two storms and we decided to go for it together.”
According to their coaching team, the incident occurred during a feeding break at the 21-kilometer mark. First, Yasemin Altıntaş was attacked by an octopus, and just seconds later, a shark attacked the swimmers.
The shark bit Öz on the waist, leaving him with a deep wound, while Altıntaş escaped the encounter without injury. Following the incident, both swimmers were immediately taken to the nearest hospital onshore by their support team.
Michael Twigg-Smith, a pilot on the technical crew, stated, “The wind from the east gave good push, and the current wasn’t too bad either. If this incident hadn’t occurred, they would definitely have completed the swim successfully.”
Twigg-Smith also noted that due to the “dramatic” nature of the attack, authorities have decided to ban nighttime swims in the Molokai Channel for safety reasons.
Both swimmers are reportedly in stable condition and have begun their journey back to Türkiye following initial medical treatment.
Altıntaş and Öz previously completed a successful tandem swim of 32.3 kilometers( 20.06 miles) across the Catalina Channel off the coast of Southern California in September 2023, finishing the route in 13 hours and 4 minutes.
The two athletes are pursuing the prestigious “Oceans Seven” challenge, an open water swimming achievement that includes seven of the world’s most difficult channel swims.