A 61-year-old surfer who lost his right leg to a shark attack off Maui’s coast in Hawaii on Friday wants to hit the waves again.

The surfer was attacked at 7:05 a.m. near Waiehu Beach Park. His leg was severed below the knee, according to a Maui County news release. Officials closed the gate to the park and advised others to stay out of water within 1 mile of where the incident occurred.

Maui officials didn’t name the surfer, but a friend of his, Renee Wilcox, identified him as Kenji Nonoka. She said Mr. Nonoka, whose condition improved from critical to serious, wants to return to the waves.

“When I talked with him in the hospital, he was looking forward to getting back in the ocean. He just talked about how much he absolutely loves the ocean and how he might want to try boogie boarding for a little bit at first. … He is a really hard-working man, and he takes such good care of himself. He’s so healthy and so positive and friendly,” Ms. Wilcox told Honolulu ABC affiliate KITV.

First responders praised Mr. Nonoka and others for their response to the shark attack.

“I would like to commend the patient for his strength and wherewithal, getting himself to shore. I mean, that’s extraordinary. Whatever Good Samaritans offered assistance, I’d like to commend them as well,” Maui Fire Department Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea told Hawaii NBC affiliate KHNL.

Maui officials haven’t said what type of shark attacked Mr. Nonoka. 

“Something bit him, wrenched his leg off and swam away — so he could not give any information as to the type of shark or size of shark,” Mr. Giesea told the news site Maui Now.

Four other confirmed shark incidents have occurred in the state in 2024, but all of them were off the coasts of Oahu, according to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.