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HONOLULU — The survivor of a shark attack last weekend is sharing his harrowing story of a day of surfing that turned into a fight for his life.
Mike Morita, 58, is still in the hospital after losing a foot in the attack, but through it all, he never lost faith he would survive. And according to his son, he hasn't lost his sense of humor — or his positive outlook on life.
Morita was injured at Kewalos — a rare attack on Oahu's south shore that took place early in the morning Sunday.
But what is not rare is the number of tiger sharks that call Hawaii's waters home.
"One of the things that we have to remember is that sharks are in Hawaiian waters all year round — tiger sharks. We know they are all around the islands, there is no special place where they're more common or less common," said Kim Holland, a shark researcher with the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology.
Surfers were back in the lineup at Kewalos, and reportedly so was a shark Wednesday morning.
Long time surfers say they've seen quite a few sharks there over the years.
"I've seen a 4 foot black tip shark, 7-8 foot sandbar sharks, whitetip sharks are out here too. There have been hammerheads, but I haven't seen any stripes ... no big tigers. I think if people knew how many sharks were in the water, there would be less people in the water," said Kewalo surfer Kaiel Nash.
After Wednesday morning's reported shark sighting, a lifeguard on a jet ski came through to check the lineup, followed by the Honolulu Fire Department sending up a drone to search from the sky.
There was no sign of the shark, as it apparently left the area.
Sunday, things were different as an 8-foot tiger shark didn't just swim by, instead it bit into Morita and didn't let go.
The experienced surfer was pulled underwater when the shark grabbed his foot with its mouth. That is when Moria started to fight back.
"He ended up face to face with the shark with his foot still in its mouth and he wrapped his leg around it, like a bear hug. Throwing punches didn't work, so he started going after the gills and eyes," said Morita's son Kamu Morita.
"After punching it didn't work, it was driving me down. So I hooked the body with my arms and leg, almost like I was hugging it. I reached around to get the eyes and instead I reached the gill. As soon as I touched the gill, it let go," stated Mike Morita.
Other surfers gathered around him and got him on a longboard, then even got into the blood-filled water to put a tourniquet on his leg to stop the bleeding.
"(Mike) was able to see the damage that was done on his leg and he realized he needed a tourniquet. My dad was calm and walked them through how to tie a tourniquet and they helped get him back to safety," stated Kamu Morita.
They are my heroes because, you know, they didn't run.
–Mike Morita
Mike Morita said, "They are my heroes because, you know, they didn't run. They fought their natural instinct to scramble and survive, but they came to me and I am truly grateful for my heroes. You know they came straight to me."
Their efforts saved his life, but he lost his foot in the attack. Now he will undergo another surgery, as doctors close up his leg. Then he will start a long recovery to regain the mobility he once had. But he says his spirits have been lifted by the support he has already received. "I am grateful for friends and family being there for me and my faith in God which pulled me through this," said Mike Morita.
One day, he hopes to be back in the lineup at Kewalos, surfing again with a prosthetic.
