Interview

Eel Attacks Young Woman in Hanauma Bay in Oahu, Hawaii

March 16, 2009-- Imagine you are snorkeling in the Hawaiian waters and you swim upon a reef. Without notice, you spot an eel out the corner of your eye going straight for your hand. Well, one person had this imagination come true when she went snorkeling in Hanauma Bay in Oahu, Hawaii. Her name is Linda Orchard and this is her story.

While Linda Orchard was snorkeling in Hanauma Bay located in Oahu, Hawaii, she was surprisingly attacked by an eel. Linda Orchard said she did not expect this to happen. Mrs. Orchard was relaxed, as she was snorkeling through the Hawaiian waters making her way to a nearby reef. She put her hand out to touch the reef and looked away for brief second. The split second she looked back, she saw and eel out of the corner of her eye that was ready to strike her right hand. It struck, but Mrs. Orchard pulled her arm back in time to avoid the eel's attack. The last she was of it was when it went darting back into its hole in the reef. After what just happened, she swam away from the reef as fast as she could to alert her friend on what just happened. Linda Orchard continued snorkeling the rest of the day. She never encountered another eel, fortunately for her. She described the eel of having a black smoke like skin color and had razor sharp teeth. She explained why the eel would have attacked her, "I was simply invading its space and it felt like it was being attacked, so it defended itself." She also stated that the eel might have attacked just to attack her; she hoped not. "I was so scared," Orchard said, "I thought that it was going to get me after I swam away." Orchard said that this had never happened to her before. She also said that she was lucky to avoid the eel's attack otherwise she might have been badly injured. Her friend came to see if she needed help when she alerted her of the incident. " I knew she was ok. Her adrenaline was pumping and she was sort of excited and scared at the same time. I came to her help though." Linda Orchard said if she got bitten by the eel, she would still continue snorkeling after it was treated. After the incident with the eel, it has encouraged her to keep snorkeling and move on through the waters for the rest of her trip. She said her adrenaline was pumping almost uncontrollably. She also said that it was a scary encounter with an animal she had never been up close to. She notified her family and friends about what happened to her on the trip. They seemed to be thrilled but also scared for her at the same time. She was asked by one reporter, "being older now, if you had the chance, would you go snorkeling again?" Linda Orchard stated with a smile on her face, "I definitely would. Its not that the eel scared me, it was just at that moment I was scared for a little bit. I would not waste the chance to go snorkeling again and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested."