Shark bite leaves surfer in Hawaii in serious condition

A surfer has been hospitalised in serious condition after an encounter with a shark off the south shore of Oahu in Hawaii.

A 58-year-old man was bitten by a shark while surfing in Kewalo Basin, Honolulu Emergency Services spokesperson Shayne Enright said on Sunday morning local time.

Enright credited other surfers around the victim with helping to save his life. She said they were able to tourniquet his right leg while still in the water and help him to shore.

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First responders transported the man to a hospital in serious condition. Enright said he stayed awake and conscious throughout treatment and transport.

The shark is believed to be about a 2.5-metre tiger shark based on witness accounts, she said.

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Following the incident, lifeguards posted signs throughout the south shore warning of a shark in the area and set up jet-ski patrols in the water to monitor for additional shark activity, according to Enright.

An incident list on the Department of Land and Natural Resources' Division of Aquatic Resources page indicates it is the fourth shark encounter in Hawaii this year. It's only the second incident in the Kewalo area since 2002.