Kale Roberson was surfing in Freight Trains, off Maalaea Hawaii with his three young sons when a 12-14 ft Tiger Shark approached him Saturday.
The Star Tribune reported He was with a surf group containing around 20 people in waves that were 3 to 4 feet high.
The waters were murky from the recent storm Hurricane Ana that passed near the islands.
“It was something you dream of on ‘Shark Week,'” he said. “It was so close to me, and the mouth was so open when it came up. It was in pure attack mode, and it was just right there. I was basically in its mouth.”
At the time he was holding one of his 8-year-old twins and his other two children were about 10 feet away from the shark
“Right then, I realized I was fighting for my life, and I had my sons with me so I took my board, and I started swinging it . I don’t care if this thing bites me, but if my pride and joys are making it to the beach safe, then I’ll feed this thing my leg if I have to,” he said.
The shark left a 14-inch bite mark on his board.
Mr. Roberson’s friend John Patao saw the incident take place.
“Everyone went into survival mode,” Patao said. “The shark was attacking him and bit his board one time, and after that the shark was circling him.”
Together they were able to get the children to the safety of the shore.
“We were yelling for everybody to get in because we were worried about the kids,” Patao said.
Although no one was injured, 3 to 4 miles of nearby beaches were temporarily closed.
Officials warned beach goers not to enter water that is murky as sharks will be unable to see and may mistake humans as a food source.
