UPDATE: Hawaii County officials conducted a flyover of west Hawaii beaches Thursday morning following Wednesday's shark bite off Lyman's Beach in Kailua-Kona.The Hawaii County helicopter did not see any signs of a large shark.
The beaches will reopen at noon, however the shark warning signs will remain posted through the holiday weekend.
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The encounter happened about 20 feet from shore, luckily the woman was not injured and she was able to paddle free.
A few miles south of Kailua-Kona town along Alii drive on the Big Island is the popular surf break known as Lyman's.
Around 1:15 p.m. nearby residents said they heard screaming coming from the line-up.
"We were sitting on the lanai and we heard everyone yelling, and scurrying up on to the rocks," said witness Sierra Davis.
A woman on a longboard was near shore when she was bumped by a shark - and then the shark tried to take a bite out of her board.
"She felt a bump from the underside and the shark grabbed her backend and started pulling her down under then it kinda just let her go," Davis said.
The surfer made it back to the beach - her board had visible teeth marks around the rear fin.
A similar looking bite to another surfer's stand-up paddle board after she too had an encounter with a shark on Sunday at the same beach.
"In comparison I think it might be the same shark," said witness Giselle Thompson. The Department of Land and Natural Resources searched for the shark by air Wednesday, warning signs were posted and two nearby beaches were closed.
State officials say they believe it was a tiger shark that bit both boards, but they can't say yet if it's the same shark.
"Kinda crazy that shark is definitely looking for something you know," Davis said.
Both surfers reported to DLNR seeing lots of turtles in the area. Witnesses say the shark acted similarly in each encounter.
"With both attacks they say they got a bump before it bit the board," Thompson said.
The DLNR will be comparing both surfers boards to determine if it is the same shark and exactly how big it is.
Meantime, officials will reassess the area in the morning to see if the beaches will remain closed.
