A man in his 20s escaped an apparent shark attack with minor injuries Thursday afternoon in Makaha, while at least one 6-foot shark was spotted breaching and thrashing in Hanalei Bay on Kauai.

Honolulu Ocean Safety lifeguards were alerted at 2:35 p.m. that a surfer appeared to be injured by a shark. The man had minor cuts to his leg and refused Emergency Medical Services assistance.

Lifeguards warned beachgoers and posted shark advisory signs, which remained up all day Thursday.

Kauai Ocean Safety Bureau Operations Supervisor Kalani Vierra said that there were two separate sightings of a shark in Hanalei Bay, which may or may not have been the same shark.

“There was probably more than one shark in the area,” he said.

The shark “was literally coming out of the water,” Vierra said. “It breached totally out of the water and back into the water,” which he described as “chocolate brown.”

Vierra said the shark or sharks may have been attracted to and feeding on dead animals washing into the bay from the Hanalei River, which had been flooding over the last two days.

A shark could be seen thrashing close to shore, and may have been eating or chasing something, he said.

Kauai County lifeguards posted “no swimming” and “shark sighted” signs along the beach as a precaution. Lifeguards at both Oahu and Kauai beaches will reassess the situation this morning.

For current ocean conditions and ocean safety, Kauai officials encourage the public to speak to a county lifeguard at any lifeguard station or log into kauaiexplorer.com or call the Ocean Safety Bureau at 241-4984.