​Boy seriously injured in apparent shark attack in Hawaii

HONOLULU - Officials are investigating a possible shark attack in waters off Oahu that left a 10-year-old boy seriously injured.

A report from emergency personnel says the boy was treated Wednesday at Makaha Surfing Beach for trauma "possibly from a marine animal." He was transported to a hospital in serious condition.

Capt. Kelly Krohne, off-duty lifeguard who was surfing nearby, witnessed the attack.

"I saw this ten-year-old boy get bumped out of the water, and he started screaming, 'Uncle! Uncle! I got hit! I got hit!'," Krohne told CBS Affiliate KGMB.

"He had three gashes on his leg. Looked at his thigh, and his thigh was open."

Krohne reportedly brought the injured boy to shore. He says the boy suffered a wound to his leg about 60-70 yards offshore.

A Department of Land and Natural Resources spokeswoman says crews were sent to close the beach and post shark warning signs from Keaau to Lahilahi Point.

This is the third shark attack reported on Oahu this month, and the seventh in Hawaii this year.

One possible explanation for the recent spike is the natural life cycle of sharks, Dr. Carl Meyer, of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology at the University of Hawaii, told KMGB.

In recent decades, nearly one-third of all shark bite incidents in Hawaii happened during the months of October and November -- "pupping season" for tiger sharks.

"It is possible that pregnant and post-partum female tiger sharks are feeding more frequently than other individuals, as these hungry females try to replenish their diminished energy reserves," Meyer said.