KAHUKU, Hawaii -- Officials posted shark warnings after a dead sperm whale attracted dozens of sharks to waters off Kahuku Point on Tuesday.

The shark warnings were posted in an area one mile east of Kahuku Point.

The carcass was first spotted on June 29 in waters off Kaneohe. It drifted to Laie before winding up in Kahuku.

Mala'e Productions captured the sperm whale carcass and the feeding frenzy it is causing along the Kahuku shoreline. Videographers spotted the carcass easily.

"This thing you could see from 3 miles away," Mala'e Productions videographer Alex Werjefelt said. "We were pretty surprised because it was standing like 7 feet out of the water."

Underwater, they captured dozens of sharks feasting on the 10-ton carcass.

"This thing is letting off a load of blood and stench," National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Marine Mammal Response Coordinator David Schofield said. "It's really oily, which is something that attracts sharks and fish."

Werjefelt said the current is carrying it all toward the Turtle Bay Resort about 2 miles away. He said he is concerned for divers and swimmers.

"There were divers just right, maybe a couple hundred yards from the carcass and they had no idea the carcass was there," he said.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources posted warning signs early this week. Officials are working with other agencies to remove the dead whale.

Area residents told KITV the carcass should have been towed out to sea before it reached the shoreline.

NOAA officials said there was little they could do.

"The rate of decomposition was such that at the time, there was nothing to grab a hold of to tow it," Schofield said.

He said the sperm whale is in the late stages of decomposition.

"Therefore, it's very hard to work with and very smelly," Schofield said.

Area residents said the whale is now stuck on a coral reef. They want it hauled away.

However, Schofield said there is a problem with doing that.

"It would impact the reef. We don't want the carcass to break apart. In essence, that would attract more sharks," he said.

Schofield said there are also concerns for safety and health.

"It's a wild animal and we don't know what it died from. So, again people should use caution in swimming in that area," he said.

It is most likely that the whale will be cut into smaller pieces and taken to nearby vacant land for disposal.

NOAA said it will cost thousands of dollars to remove the whale. The exact cost depends on how they do it.

Sperm whales are often seen in the channels between the Hawaiian Islands, Schofield said. Carcasses wash up once or twice a year.