A 36-year old surfer was bitten by a 5-foot reef shark at Hoopika, Maui, on Friday afternoon, which makes him the 6th shark attack victim off the island’s coast this year.

Federico H. Jaime, the surfer in question, sustained serious wounds first on his left arm, then on his left leg, but is believed to be “doing well and in recovery”. That was the assessment given by spindle-flipping Maui local Matt Meola, who arrived shortly after the attack and videoed the rescue operation on his iPhone. In the footage, which was posted on Meola’s Instagram, a gruesome and sizeable open wound can be seen as a second tourniquet is applied to the casualty’s arm, next to a green leash wrapped tightly around the limb. Scott Truden and an off-duty paramedic named Luke were among those who helped treat the wound, says Matt.

A reef shark? You know, one of the friendly ones!

Maui News reports:

“At about 5 p.m., a surfer looked over after hearing a man scream and saw a 5-foot reef shark biting the surfer’s left arm, Fire Services Chief Edward Taomoto said Friday evening. The shark let go and then bit the man again in the left leg.

“Other surfers came to the victim’s aid and helped paddle the man to shore. He was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center in serious condition, said Taomoto, adding that the arm injury was the more serious injury.

“Beaches were closed along a 2-mile stretch from Maliko Bay to Tavares Bay, Taomoto said. Firefighters and conservation officers from the state Department of Land and Natural Resources’ Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement cleared the ocean of surfers at the beach park and will warn people against entering the water until an assessment is made this morning.

“This is the sixth shark attack this year on Maui and the second in a week. A 66-year-old woman, a part-time Kihei resident from Washington state, was the apparent victim of a shark attack Oct. 14 off Charley Young Beach in Kihei. She suffered severe injuries to her lower left leg and was hospitalized.

“The woman was swimming about 20 to 30 yards offshore between Charley Young Beach and Cove Park in about 7 feet of water at the time of the attack, according to fire officials. The ocean was calm but murky.”