A 61-year-old surfer in Hawaii had his leg severed when he was bitten in a shark attack in the waters off Maui on Friday morning, authorities said.
The man, whose name was not released publicly, was surfing around 7:05 a.m. at a surf spot known as “Sand Piles” near Waiehu Beach Park when the shark attacked him, Maui County said in a news release.
“First responders confirmed the victim’s leg was completely severed just below the knee,” officials said.
The surfer was sitting on his board in the water when the shark suddenly swam up and bit his leg, HawaiiNewsNow reported, citing sources.
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The surfer’s leg was severed when a shark bit him in the waters off Maui, officials said. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)
Witnesses speaking to the outlet described hearing the surfer’s screams and how Good Samaritans rushed to help him.
“I heard this yell and I looked, and all of a sudden I just seen him splash, and I don’t know what was happening,” David Basques told the station. “He swam himself back maybe more than half the way and then I seen somebody jump in and they went bring him inside.”
Officials said the beach would be closed and warned beachgoers to stay out of the water until further notice. (Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Police arrived at the beach first, where the surfer remained alert after being brought to shore, and applied tourniquets to control the bleeding. The surfer was then taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition. Officials did not release an update on the surfer’s condition.
A GoFundMe account identified the surfer as a man named Kenji, who was described as a “stoked, dedicated” and enthusiastic surfer.
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Kenji was recovering well in the ICU, according to a post on the donation page, which said that immediately upon leaving surgery he declared, “I still love the ocean!”
It was unclear what kind of shark was involved in the attack. (iStock)
Maui County officials confirmed a shark had bitten the surfer, though no details were provided on what kind of shark was involved.
The incident prompted officials to close the beach park and warn beachgoers to stay out of the water in the area until further notice.
The shark attack follows a fatal incident in June when famous surfer Tamayo Perry was killed in a shark attack while surfing off Oahu’s North Shore.