A 16-year old boy was bitten by a shark while surfing at Pohoiki on the Big Island on Sunday, according to Big Island Now. 

The boy reportedly suffered multiple lacerations and puncture wounds to his lower body.

The incident marks the eighth shark attack in Hawaii waters this year, according to state statistics. A German tourist lost her arm in a shark attack off Maui earlier this month.

The number of shark attacks has spiked during the past two years. In 2012, there were 11 attacks, about three to four times the annual average, and 2013 is on pace to be another record setting year. 

Still, shark attacks are rare, with more than 350,000 people entering the Hawaii waters every month. The last fatal shark attack was in 2004.

Courtesy of Division of Aquatic Resources, Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.

— Sophie Cocke