Officials in Hawaii say that a surfer in Maui had his leg severed during a shark attack on Friday.
“The man, 61, was surfing off Waiehu Beach Park Friday morning in a surf spot known as Sand Piles when a shark bit him,” Maui County said in a news release.
Other surfers in the water at the time of the attack reportedly helped the man get back to shore, witnesses told local CBS affiliate Hawaii News Now.
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“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,” witness David Basques told Hawaii News Now. “He swam himself back maybe more than half the way, and then I seen somebody jump in and they went bring him inside.”
Medical personal quickly attended to the man who was alert and responsive after being pulled from the water. He was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition.
“I would like to commend the patient for his strength and wherewithal, getting himself to shore,” Maui Fire Department Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea told reporters, according to KGMB. “I mean, that’s extraordinary. Whatever Good Samaritans offered assistance, I’d like to commend them as well.”
Local officials made the decision to close the beach as a result of the incident and warned those in the area to stay out of the water. They advised people to stay out of the water one mile in each direction until at least noon on Saturday. Officials said that warning would be extended if any sharks were sited in the area.
Shark warning signs were posted at area beaches and Maui Fire and Ocean safety officials patrolled the waters using boats and drones. Officials did not provide any details on what kind of shark was involved in the attack.
2023 saw an increased number of shark attacks and fatalities world-wide, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History. Maui has seen 75 shark attacks since records started being kept in 1828, far more than any of the other Hawaiian islands. Just this year famous surfer Tamayo Perry was killed by a shark while surfing off the north coast of Oahu.
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