Tiger shark attacks surfer, bites him just off the Hawaii coast, officials say

A Hawaii surfer was hospitalized Sunday after a shark attacked him and bit his leg just off the coast of Honolulu in Oahu, officials said. 

Honolulu Emergency Medical Services were alerted around 7 a.m. for a man who was bitten by a shark off the Kewalo Basin, just north of the popular tourist location of Waikiki, Shayne Enright, spokesperson for the Honolulu Emergency Services Department, told USA TODAY. 

Before emergency services responded to the scene, people surfing with the man “placed a tourniquet” on his right leg and assisted him to shore, Enright said. 

The man, only identified as a 58-year-old local resident, was given advanced life support by paramedics and transported to a local emergency room in serious condition.

“He was awake, conscious, breathing the entire time,” Enright said. 

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What kind of shark attacked the man?

Enright said it was reported a 8-foot tiger shark bit the man. The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources reported while surfers attended to the man, the shark “returned and was acting aggressively.”

Lifeguards on jet skis warned surfers of a nearby shark and a dive boat with 30 passengers left the area, officials said. Signs warning of shark presence were also posted on the shore, but Enright said it is believed the shark left the area. 

What to know about shark attacks in Hawaii

Shark attacks happen the most in the U.S., as 41 of the confirmed 57 attacks worldwide in 2022 happened in the country, according to the Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File.