Maui Father and Son Recount Harrowing Experience with a Shark KAHULUI â It started as a father-son kayak off the west coast of Maui to view and photograph Humpback whales. 45-year-old Daniel Sullivan and his 15-year-old son Tristan, of Kula, paddled out on their two-man, 12-foot hard-shell kayak from the west side of the pali at around 11:30 Tuesday morning. There was a slight swell but clear water. Daniel Sullivan recounted the incident in his own words in the following social media post: âI’m not sure how to begin. I’m alive. My son and I were attacked by a shark today. We left the West Side of Maui by kayak to go whale watching at 11:35 am and paddled out about a mile. We spotted a group of whales, a baby, a mother, a male escort whale and 2 dolphins. We paddled towards them. We gave them over a hundred yards of space, but they came towards us. The baby was young and was flopping around on the surface.