A surfer on the island of Maui lost part of his leg in a shark attack

A surfer lost part of his leg after being bitten by a shark in Hawaii, authorities said.

A 61-year-old man was surfing at Waiehu Beach Park when he was attacked by a shark around 7 a.m. Nov. 1, Maui County Police and Fire officials said. press release.

Authorities said the shark bit the man’s leg. The man then swam to shore, where he was treated and then taken to a local hospital in critical condition.

First responders said the surfer’s leg was severed below the knee after he was bitten.

Police applied two tourniquets to stop the bleeding, officials said, adding that the man was alert while he was treated.

“I would like to thank the patient for his strength and that he was able to make it to shore,” Maui Fire and Public Safety Department (MFD) Assistant Chief Jeff Geese said, according to the NBC affiliate. HNL Honolulu. “It’s extraordinary.”

Waiehu Beach Park was then closed and beachgoers were advised to stay out of the water from Paukūkalo to Waihe’e.

The incident comes just four months after the death of legendary surfer and lifeguard Tamayo Perry died in June as a result of a shark attack in Hawaii.

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi said in a statement that Perry was attacked by a shark on the north shore of Oahu, where he was an eight-year veteran of the Ocean Safety and Rescue Service.

Shortly before 1 p.m. on June 23, emergency services responded to a call of a surfer who had suffered “fatal injuries” after being attacked by a shark. The caller told the dispatcher that Perry’s body appeared to have been bitten multiple times. Perry’s body was brought ashore by lifeguards and authorities pronounced him dead.

There have been other reports of shark attacks in the United States this year, including an attack on a surfer in Florida was bitten by a shark on the same beach that bit him ten years ago.