'God wanted me to fight': Hawaiian surfer, who lost foot in shark attack, explains how his faith helped him survive near-fatal encounter

A Hawaiian surfer was able to fight off a near-fatal shark attack. The surfer credits his faith in God for giving him the strength not only to fight off the shark but also to deal with the distressing aftermath of losing his foot in the bloody encounter.

Mike Morita, 58, has been surfing a spot known as Kewalos for years. The shore area not far from downtown Honolulu on the island of Oahu's south shore is popular with surfers for its reliable waves and shallow, clear waters near a basin.

Morita went to do some surfing early on Easter Sunday morning before attending church services with his wife. Shortly after 6:15 a.m., Morita was lying on his stomach on his surfboard after riding a few waves when he felt excruciating pain in his right leg.

Morita told KHON-TV, "It wasn’t really like a chomp. It was just pressure. I can feel the strength of it, and right away I knew it was a shark."

"In that critical moment, I went to God," Morita said. "I kind of surprised myself that I went straight into prayer."

Morita said he prayed for the shark to release his leg but never thought he was going to die — even when the pressure intensified as the shark thrashed about.

"God wanted me to fight, so I started beefing," Morita proclaimed.

The shark pulled Morita underwater, and he fought back. He gave the beast a "bear hug" and grabbed its gills.

"I wrapped my arm around it and my body around it. And at that point I was trying to go for the eyes, but my hand ended up by the gills. So as soon as I touched by the gills, it let go," recalled Morita — who started surfing in the fourth grade.

Despite the dangerous shark in the water, fellow surfers frantically paddled to help Morita.

"The water was red — with my blood," he said. "I cannot believe how much courage my friends had."

"They said when they reached me, the shark was still on me, so they were scared for their lives too, but when it finally let go, they were there for me. They were in shock also," Morita said of the surfers who saved him.

The shark attack severely damaged Morita's right foot.

The Associated Press reported, "At one point, he looked back and saw only bone from ankle to knee on his right leg."

The surfers used board leashes to create a makeshift tourniquet. Paramedics said without that tourniquet, Morita would have bled to death.

They pulled him onto a longboard and brought him back to shore.

Morita was rushed to a local hospital and underwent emergency surgery. Doctors had to amputate Morita's right foot.

"My prayer now is they won't have to amputate above the knee," Morita said.

Despite the life-altering injury of losing his foot, Morita has turned to his faith in God to prevent him from getting angry or depressed.

"I would be mad at God, mad at the world, mad at the shark," he said. "I can honestly say I am at peace. I have no fear of the ocean right now."

Morita even joked that he should have gone to the 7 a.m. church service instead of planning to go to one later in the morning.

State officials suspect the animal was an 8-foot tiger shark.

Marine biologists believe recent heavy rains may have drawn sharks into the area.

"And it’s right at the mouth of the Ala Wai Canal, so all the water that runs down the mountains and feeds into the Ala Wai was being flushed down there, and that carries all these interesting scents and smells and garbage and things that will just attract the sharks in from outside," said Andrew Rossiter, the Waikiki Aquarium director.

According to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources website, there hasn't been a shark attack reported in Kewalos since 2002.

Morita said he hopes to surf again.

"The doctors are telling me that it’s up to me whether what I’m going to do," he said. "Yes I’d like to surf again, but if I never surf again, I’m still happy, I'll be alright."

Morita remains in a trauma center for his shark attack injuries.

A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $80,000 for his medical expenses.

Surfer recounts surviving shark attack: ‘God wanted me to fight’www.youtube.com

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