Braxton Rocha, 27, was spearfishing off the coast of the Big Island on Sunday when he came head-to-head with a massive shark that took a huge chunk out of his left leg, authorities said.
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He was anxious the shark, which he estimates was at least 13 feet long, would attack him again as he swam the 60 yards back to shore.
After checking an underwater cave, he caught a flash of stripes in the corner of his eye and was face-to-face with the largest tiger shark he had ever seen.
“She was jaws wide open, right in front of my face”, Rocha said. They say he underwent surgery for two serious injuries to his left leg.
“Once she locked on my leg …” He said he would tell her, “Mahalo for giving me a wake-up call”. “She let go and she swam away”.
Braxton Rocha/via Instagram Footage shows Rocha’s deep gash on his left leg after the tiger shark attack.
“I just wanted to personally thank everyone out there for their kind and loving words and all of the prayers sent my way”, Rocha wrote on his social media pages.
Rocha went on to express his respect for the ocean, saying, “Can’t wait to get back into the water…”
An interview with Rocha is available on Soundcloud, where he was asked what he would say to the tiger shark if he could. He frantically shouted for his friend, Shannon Pasco, who was diving close to the rocky shoreline.
“Then he saw the shark”, Rocha said.
Once out of the water, Pasco loaded his injured friend into his truck before placing a tourniquet around his thigh.
Rocha’s friend drove him into town to call an ambulance, and he was airlifted to a hospital.
“To all the people that think my video was fake…all I have to say is I’m quite flattered that you think my badass level is something to admire and put down”.
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“Love you too, brah”, Rocha replies before the video ends. His wounds required about 100 staples, but doctors said he should eventually make a full recovery. Rocha is still in the hospital and will have to undergo rehabilitation and therapy after he is released from the hospital.
