A shark attacked a 23-year-old surfer at a Hawaii beach and bit his wrist and elbow, causing him to bleed profusely.
He said, “It was beautiful, glassy, really good waves and all of a sudden you hear someone yelling ‘Help! Shark! Help!’” He added, “I just saw the fin going back-and-forth, back-and-forth while he’s screaming trying to fight the shark off.”
Surfers brought the man to shore and made a makeshift tourniquet from their surfboard leashes, KHON reported.
“We safely got him to the beach and got through to one of these beach houses and called 911,” he said. “We redid the tourniquet when we got down there.”
Hailstones added, “It looked like he was losing blood really quick and the tourniquet really helped.”
The victim, he said, was quite friendly and appeared calm through the ordeal. “He actually had a smile on [his face] getting into the ambulance and he was thanking everyone,” Hailstones said. “He was a nice guy and I hope he recovers well.”
“If they are hanging around an area, it’s usually an indication there is food there,” said Andrew Rossiter, who is the Hawaii State Aquarium director. “Perhaps something is dead beneath the water and the scent has attracted them there.”