A 58-year old surfer is ‘grateful to be alive’ after losing his right foot in a shark attack while surfing on Sunday (9 April 2023) at Oahu’s Kewalo Basin, Hawaii.

Mike Morita was attacked repeatedly by what is believed to be an eight-foot Tiger shark early on Sunday morning. Following the attack, fellow surfers used the leashes from their surfboards as tourniquets to stem the bleeding. From there, emergency services arrived on the scene, transporting Morita to hospital.

Speaking to KHON2 from his hospital bed where he’s recovering, Morita described what happened after the shark took hold of his right foot:

“As the pressure got stronger and harder, I could feel the strength of it,” he said. “Right away I knew it was a shark. It kind of pulled me off the board and under the water. I wrapped my arm and body around it.

“I was trying to go for the eyes. But my hand ended up around the gills. As soon as I touched around the gills, it let go.”

It was at this point his friends from the lineup rushed over to help.

“When they reached me, the shark was still on me,” he said. “They were scared for their lives, too. When it finally let go, they were there for me. They were in shock also.”

Morita’s friends used a surfboard to get him to shore, but knew they had to stop the bleeding.

“My friends tied tourniquets on my leg with their leashes,” Morita continued. “That’s hard to do. It’s hard to tie a leash as a tourniquet.”

Morita says it was the actions of his friends that saved his life and he’s very grateful to them, and grateful to be alive.

The incident is considered the fourth shark attack in Hawaii in 2023.

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