Surfer, 58, Hospitalized in Serious Condition After Shark Bites His Leg in Hawaii
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Experts with Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) believe an eight-foot tiger shark is likely behind the attack, per multiple reports
Authorities in Hawaii say a surfer was hospitalized over the weekend after he was bitten by a shark.
The 58-year-old victim was surfing off Kewalo Basin on Oahu Sunday morning when the shark clamped onto his right leg, according to Hawaii News Now and NBC News.
Surfers "helped apply a tourniquet to his wound" before first responders arrived around 7 a.m. local time, Honolulu Emergency Services Department spokesperson Shayne Enright said in a statement, per NBC.
Friends used the leashes from their surfboards to create the makeshift device, Ocean Safety said, according to CW affiliate KHON-TV.
Honolulu Emergency Medical Services said the surfer was seriously injured in the attack, KHON-TV and the Associated Press reported. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment.
Experts with Hawaii's Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR) believe an eight-foot tiger shark is likely behind the attack, according to Hawaii News Now and KHON-TV.
DLNR said a shark returned to the site of the attack and began acting aggressively as bystanders tended to the injured surfer, per the station.
Shark warning signs were posted in the area prior to Sunday's attack, according to KHON-TV. Ocean Safety Lieutenant Dennis Coglietta said the signs remained in place following the attack.
Surfers and swimmers were asked to stay out in the water until noon on Monday, per the reports.
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This is the fourth shark attack in Hawaii this year, but the first in the Kewalos area since 2002, according to DLNR's website.
The first attack of the year was reported on Feb. 19, per the site. The victim involved in the incident was not injured when the shark bit into his inflatable stand-up paddleboard.
Two additional shark attacks were reported on Mar. 19. One took place about 12 miles from Pāpōhako Beach, while the other happened about 250 feet from shore in Anaeho'omalu Bay.
Both victims survived.
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