"I just felt the pressure and the strength of it..."
We all, each of, have read many tales from shark attack survivors. As surfers, I suppose, we imagine what we would do if a shark began molesting us in the ocean blue. Be strong and brave, fighting back, and making a good show of it or melt into a puddle of scare and cry?
Impossible to know or, as Iron Mike Tyson says, “Everyone has a plan until they get bit on the leg.”
Well, days ago we learned the harrowing tale of a then-unnamed 58-year-old surfer who was attacked by an eight-foot tiger near Honolulu. The horrible business occurred early in the morning, surfers helped him to shore and he was transported to the local hospital where he was announced to be in critical condition.
Today, we learn that his name is Mike Morita and he is as heroic as it comes. Sitting down with Today, he described the moment when he lost his foot.
“I just felt the pressure and the strength of it,” he said after initially believing it was a seal. “I started to pray to God and I said, ‘God let this shark let go of my leg. ‘I was going back and forth, back and forth with it, and it didn’t let go. So I guess God wanted me to fight.”
Fight he did. Morita began punching the shark in the head, even though his fists felt slow and weak. He then wrapped his legs around the beast and tried to squeeze. When that didn’t work his h”and went right to the gills and as soon as I got to the gills, (it) released me.”
“I have God in my life and I have a lot of faith and trust and at no point was I scared,” he added. “At no point was I thinking that I was going to die.”
As other surfers rushed to help he looked back to examine the damage, realizing his leg was only bone from ankle to mid-shin.
No meat.
But how does he feel now, in the hospital, that bone sawed off? “So with the pain medication, and this nice, soft hospital bed, I’m at about a two or three as far as pain,” he declared before pivoting to praise his friends.
“I cannot believe the courage my friends had because I’m getting attacked and they paddled towards me,” he continued. “They’re my heroes.”
They don’t build them quite like Mike Morita anymore. Here’s to a quick recovery.
Commented on Disqus? Log out, tap the Disqus button, and your old name and comments come back. The box is ours.
Your comments are still here. Every one of them.
Twelve years of BeachGrit comments came across from Disqus. Connect and we will show you how many are yours. We get your username, nothing else.
Connect Disqus to reveal.
Wonder what kind of beer this guy drinks? Bud Light?
Was about to ask if you were down a leg, actually.
Poor cunt hasn’t got leg to stand on now
Bethany can birth child from her womb…
Protecting learners from sharks would be a great add on for Lip Smack.
Luckily Mike got it for free.
Guy from the right on what I think was boogie board looked like he hauled over as I remember.
Great, out there lurks an eight-foot tiger shark that believes itself now to be nine-feet long.