A surfer off the coast of Hawaii has survived a shark attack. But the predator bit off his foot.
A surfer was attacked by a tiger shark off the US island of Hawaii on Sunday morning. The animal bit off the foot of surfer Mike Morita, local media reports.
By her own account, Morita has been surfing for 40 years. On Easter Sunday, like every morning, he was in the water at around 6.30 a.m. when a 2.40 meter long shark bit his leg. But Morita was able to free herself and the animal let go of him. “He put his leg around the shark, like a bear hug. Beating didn’t help, so he went for the gills and eyes, only then the shark let him go,” his son reports on local broadcaster “KITV”.
Other surfers rushed to his aid and used the surfboard’s ankle strap to tie off the wound. Morita was then taken to the hospital and operated on.
Family collects donations for treatment
Morita’s condition is now stable again. But another operation is still pending in the course of the week. For the treatment costs of 100,000 US dollars (around 91,000 euros), the family is now collecting donations on the “Gofundme” platform.
Shark attacks on humans are extremely rare. In the US, the odds are 1 in 11.5 million. According to local authorities, it has been 26 years since the last attack on Hawaii. At that time a surfer lost a leg.