A 68-year-old man had to fend off a huge 12-foot tiger shark with a diving knife after it "ripped off a good chunk of his buttock."
The Hawaii man, who has not been identified, was going for his daily swim off the coast of Anaehoomalu Bay on Tuesday at around 8.15am when he was suddenly bitten by a shark.
Eyewitnesses claim the man, from Waikoloa, US, was roughly 400 yards out in the sea when he was attacked by the 12-foot predator.
The man was able to defend himself from the shark using a diving knife before a woman, who has not been identified, and a man named Kai came to his rescue.
They jumped on paddleboards and pulled the man out of the water and to safety.
Anthony Singh, an eyewitness at the scene, told Hawaii News Now : "It was heretic, it was brutal. It was shocking to see that he was able to get up and lay on the beach himself because a good chunk of him on the left side was just out from his rear."
The man also suffered "razor-like cuts" from trying to escape the shark.
Singh added: "The guy said he couldn't really feel anything because he was in shock. He didn't even notice how much of his meat got bitten off."
A woman who was visiting her son on the island said she heard a "sudden" scream and a man shouting "help, help!".
Kat Haber, who was visiting her son McKenzy, looked up and saw a "bobbing head" behind a boat, according to her Facebook post.
She said there was "no hesitation" from the two heroes who just "got on their paddleboards and started heading right out."
Kat, the owner of Hawaii Beach Fishing, had noticed bait balls of fish, which are used to attract sharks, at the bay and believes the predators can be "more aggressive than a great white at times."
She told KHON 2 : "A 12-foot tiger shark is a lot different than a reef shark. That is pretty much our apex predator."
The man was taken to Queens North Hawaii Community Hospital for treatment.
A police statement read: "Hawaii Island police have initiated a public accident case in connection with a shark attack that was reported on Tuesday morning, December 13, 2022, at Anaehoomalu Bay, in Waikoloa.
"A 68-year old Waikoloa man was swimming about 400 yards offshore around 8am when the shark bit him on the lower left torso. The swimmer attempted to fend off the shark with a diving knife and the shark released the swimmer.
"The swimmer was assisted to shore and transported to Queens North Hawaii Community Hospital by Hawai‘i Fire Department personnel for treatment.
"The Waikoloa man is in stable condition and will be transported to Oahu for treatment of non-life threatening injuries."
