A shark expert confirmed it was an eel, not a shark, that bit a surfer off Waikiki over the weekend.

At 6:50 p.m. Saturday, paramedics responded to a report of an injured 33-year-old surfer near the police substation in Waikiki. The surfer said he was riding a wave when he fell off his board and felt pain from his left foot.

The Department of Land and Natural Resources interviewed the surfer and obtained photos of his injuries. The state agency consulted with George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack File in Florida, who confirmed the bite was made by an eel.

To date, there has never been a confirmed shark bite off Waikiki, according to the Department of Land and Natural Resources. “Given the large number of ocean users in Waikiki waters, this suggests that the normal behavior of sharks is to avoid interactions with people,” said DLNR in a news release.