Current:Home > MarketsSurfer bit by shark off Hawaii coast, part of leg severed in attack-InfoLens
Surfer bit by shark off Hawaii coast, part of leg severed in attack
View Date:2024-12-23 16:52:21
A surfer in Hawaii was bitten by a shark off the coast of Maui Friday, authorities said.
County of Maui Police and Fire said in a Friday press release that a 61-year-old local man was surfing at Waiehu Beach Park at a surf spot known as “Sand Piles” when he was bitten. First responders said that the man's right leg had been severed in the attack, according to CBS affiliate Hawaii News Now.
A GoFundMe account identified the man as "Kenji" and said that, as of Saturday, he is out of the Intensive Care Unit at Maui Memorial Medical Center and recovering.
Witnesses told Hawaii News Now that the surfer was brought to shore by surfers where first responders administered aide.
"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 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."
USA TODAY contacted the GoFundMe account for further comment but did not immediately receive a response
Shark bites by the numbers
Sixty-nine unprovoked shark bites were reported by the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File in 2023, up six over the five-year average.
Two people died in the U.S. after shark bites in 2023: One in California and one in Hawaii. Four people were killed in shark attacks in Australia. One death each was confirmed in the Bahamas, Egypt, Mexico and New Caledonia.
There were 16 attacks with bites reported in Florida, with eight of those attacks in Volusia County home of Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach. That area has long been dubbed "the shark bite capital of the world."
In addition to the fatality in Hawaii last year, there were seven other bite attacks. Three such attacks were reported in North Carolina, two in South Carolina and two in California, including the fatality.
Four bite attacks occurred last year in New York, including one in New York City. One attack was reported in New Jersey.
The 36 bite attacks reported in the U.S. were about 52% of the worldwide total.
Elsewhere in 2023, bite attacks were reported in Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, New Zealand, Seychelles, Turks and Caicos, Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands and South Africa.
In June, "Pirates of the Carribean" actor Tamayo Perry died in a shark attack off of the coast of Oahu.
veryGood! (43879)
Related
- A herniated disc is painful, debilitating. How to get relief.
- Roger Goodell pushes back on claims NFL scripted Super Bowl 58 for Taylor Swift sideshow
- Unbeatable Beauty Deals Up to 82% Off: Urban Decay, NuFACE, Laura Mercier & More
- Jam Master Jay dabbled in drug sales ‘to make ends meet,’ witness testifies
- Should Georgia bench Carson Beck with CFP at stake against Tennessee? That's not happening
- Tracy Chapman, Luke Combs drove me to tears with 'Fast Car' Grammys duet. It's a good thing.
- Fan wanted defensive coordinator job, but settles for rejection letter from Packers CEO
- Ohio attorney general opposes speeding up timeline for lawsuit over proposed voting rights amendment
- Fantasy football buy low, sell high: 10 trade targets for Week 11
- Why Felicity Huffman Feels Like Her “Old Life Died” After College Admissions Scandal
Ranking
- Shocked South Carolina woman walks into bathroom only to find python behind toilet
- $1 million could be yours, if Burger King makes your dream Whopper idea a reality
- Snapchat parent company to lay off 10% of workforce in latest job cuts to hit tech industry
- NFL doubles down on 'integrity' with Super Bowl at the epicenter of gambling industry
- MLS Star Marco Angulo Dead at 22 One Month After Car Crash
- South Carolina wants to restart executions with firing squad, electric chair and lethal injection
- Illinois man gets 5 years for trying to burn down planned abortion clinic
- Where's my refund? How to track your tax refund through the IRS system
Recommendation
-
Falling scaffolding plank narrowly misses pedestrians at Boston’s South Station
-
Mississippi’s top court to hear arguments over spending public money on private schools
-
Singer Toby Keith Dead at 62 After Cancer Battle
-
Applebee's makes more Date Night Passes available, but there's a catch
-
Maryland man wanted after 'extensive collection' of 3D-printed ghost guns found at his home
-
Prince William likely to step up amid King Charles III's cancer diagnosis, experts say
-
'Cozy cardio': What to know about the online fitness trend that's meant to be stress-free
-
Jennifer Beals was in 'heaven' shooting T-Mobile's 'Flashdance' Super Bowl commercial