HONOLULU (KHNL/Gray News) – A veteran surfer and father of two from Hawaii suffered serious injuries to both legs when he was bitten by a shark, but he managed to paddle back to shore and crawl across the sand to get help.
Koa Smith, 38, was surfing off Oahu’s South Shore on May 30 when he felt something grab him from behind.
“It really did feel like somebody just came from behind, grabbed my ankle and pulled,” he said. “I was just confused. So, I turned around to see who’s doing this, who’s grabbing me, and yeah, it was just a shark.”
Koa Smith believes he was bitten by an 8-foot Galapagos shark. Despite suffering severe injuries to his leg and foot, he managed to make it back to shore at Cromwell’s Beach. He crawled across the sand and yelled for help before three bystanders rushed to assist him until first responders arrived…