‘Aggressive’ 8-foot tiger shark bites 58-year-old surfer, Hawaii officials say

An “aggressive” 8-foot tiger shark bit a surfer off a busy Oahu beach, Hawaii officials reported.

The encounter took place just before 7 a.m. Sunday, April 9, at Kewalo Basin, near Waikiki on Oahu, the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources said in a news release.

The 58-year-old Honolulu man suffered a bite wound to the leg, the release said.

“When others came to the man’s aid they report a shark returned and was acting aggressively,” officials said.

Other surfers fashioned a makeshift tourniquet for the man’s leg out of surfboard leashes, KHON reported. He was taken to a hospital in serious condition.

Shark warning signs were posted and people were warned to stay out of the water until noon Monday, April 10, state officials said. A dive boat with 30 passengers left the area after being warned.

The United States led the world in unprovoked shark attacks in 2022, with 41 confirmed cases, the International Shark Attack File of the Florida Museum reported.

Hawaii accounted for five of the attacks, with one fatality. Florida had the most at 16.

This story was originally published April 10, 2023 at 11:54 AM with the headline "‘Aggressive’ 8-foot tiger shark bites 58-year-old surfer, Hawaii officials say."