INJURED - 22 ? December 2005 - Keawakapu Beach, Maui, Hawaii - swimmer attacked

Jonathan Genant, 29, from Seattle, lost his left little finger and part of his ring finger when the shark bit into his hand while he was swimming at Keawakapu Beach, Maui, Hawaii.

Reports of the date of the attack are vague. A report on Wednesday 28 December 2005 claimed the attack happened “last week” putting it anywhere between the 18th and 25th.

Reports did not mention the type of shark responsible for the attack.

Genant told media: “You're in a panic mode. You're thinking, 'God -- OK, I'm bleeding all over the place,' and you just don't know if you're going to be hit again, you're so vulnerable. But if he hit me again, that would have been it. After about 20 seconds or so, I realised I've got a shot here to get back."

Genant said he gripped the wrist of his injured arm to slow the blood loss, flipped on his back and began to swim. But without the use of his arms, he said he could only drift.

When he realised that the shark could come back he began to yell for help.

Hal Bringeland, from Surrey, who was boogie boarding on Keawakapu Beach at the time went to the rescue when he heard the shouting.

He told media: "You know it's hard to tell exactly what was going on. It looked like he was holding up a red snorkel.

"So I piled into the water and you know we were probably two thirds of the way out there, and then we could see this wasn't just a snorkel, and he confirmed it when we got there.

"He said that he had been bit by a shark. So we made it our priority to get out of the water."

Bringeland and the other rescuer helped Genant out of the water. He was taken to hospital for surgery.

Sources:
MSNBC
CBC California