A teenage surfer is fortunate to have escaped unharmed after a harrowing encounter with a shark off Makaha on the Hawaiian island of Oahu.
Max Keliikipi, 16, was surfing by himself at dusk Sunday when he spotted what he thought was a turtle flipper sticking out of the water.
In the accompanying KHON2 news report, Keliikipi explained that, to be on the safe side, he placed his feet atop his board. Moments later the shark emerged and bit a large chunk from the front of the board.
“It was literally, and I’m not exaggerating this at all. It was literally an inch or two from my feet,” the surfer said.
The force of the bite knocked Keliikipi, a junior lifeguard, off his board. He swam quickly to shore and notified authorities.
“It was the fight or flight thing, and for me it was just flight,” Keliikipi said.
He estimated the shark to measure 10 to 12 feet in length.
Lifeguards posted warning signs and monitored the area through Tuesday, according to the Honolulu Star Advertiser.
The incident comes three months after a fatal shark attack off Maui.
KHON2 reports that there have been seven shark attacks in Hawaiian waters in 2019. Three attacks were recorded in 2018, and five in 2017.
Tiger sharks are most often implicated in Hawaii’s shark attacks.
–Images courtesy of Max Keliikipi
