Hawaiian surfer's leg was severed in a shark attack off Maui, authorities say

A 61-year-old surfer in Hawaii had his leg cut off when he was bitten by a shark attack in the waters off Maui Friday morning, authorities said.

The man, whose name was not publicly released, was surfing at a surf spot known as “Sand Piles” near Waiehu Beach Park around 7:05 a.m. when the shark attacked him, Maui County said in a news release.

“First responders confirmed the victim’s leg was completely severed just below the knee,” officials said.

The surfer was sitting on his board in the water when the shark suddenly swam up and bit his leg, HawaiiNewsNow reported, citing sources.

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The surfer’s leg was severed when a shark bit him in the waters off Maui, officials said. (AP Photo/Caleb Jones)

Witnesses who spoke to the outlet described how they heard the surfer’s screams and how Good Samaritans rushed to help him.

“I heard this scream and I looked, and suddenly I saw it splash, and I don’t know what happened,” David Basques told the station. “He swam himself maybe more than half way back and then I saw someone jump in and they went to bring him in.”

Officials said the beach would be closed and warned beachgoers to stay out of the water until further notice. (Educational Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Police arrived first at the beach, where the surfer remained alert after being brought to shore, and applied tourniquets to control the bleeding. Then the surfer was taken away Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition. Officials have not released an update on the surfer’s condition.

A GoFundMe account identified the surfer as a man named Kenji, who was described as an “upbeat, dedicated” and enthusiastic surfer.

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Kenji recovered well in the ICU, according to a message on the donation page, which stated that immediately after leaving surgery he declared, “I still love the ocean!”

It was unclear which species of shark was involved in the attack. (iStock)

Maui County officials confirmed that a shark had bitten the surfer, although no details were given on what type of shark it was.

The incident prompted officials to close the beach park and warn beachgoers to stay out of the water in the area until further notice.

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The shark attack follows a fatal incident in June when it became public surfer Tamayo Perry was killed in a shark attack while surfing off the north coast of Oahu.