Surfer loses leg after Hawaii shark attack

HONOLULU - Family and friends say 25-year-old Colin Cook lost most of his leg in a shark attack off Oahu's North Shore.

The Honolulu Star-Advertiser reports relatives identified the victim and confirmed doctors amputated most of his left leg. His hands were injured when he punched the shark before it swam away.

His cousin, Chris Webster, told CBS affiliate WGMB in Honolulu that Cook swam to another surfer who paddled him to shore.

"It was his left leg that got taken, and then it was his left hand that he lost a couple of his fingertips on," Chris Webster, Cook's cousin, told Hawaii News Now. "So I imagine he was holding the shark off while he was punching it."

Webster got a chance to talk to Cook before he was wheeled into surgery. "I got there and I was all, 'What's up? I heard you were fighting with a shark.' And he started laughing and smiling. He's all, 'Yeah, I got a couple good cracks on him.' So he was in good spirits."

Cook's friend John Carper helped get him out of the water. He said the Rhode Island native is a regular at the popular surf spot where the shark bit him, and they both live nearby.

Cook moved to Hawaii from Newport, R.I., three years ago and learned to create custom surfboards from famed North Shore shaper John Carper, reports WGMB.

"We taught him how to make surfboards and we ended up semi-adopting him for a long time," said Carper. "He was part of our family for several years."

The Honolulu Emergency Medical Services Department says bystanders acted quickly and helped save Cook's life.