A 35-year-old Portuguese national was medevaced to Hawaii by U.S. Coast Guard crews on Monday, days after he was apparently bit by a shark some 740 miles southeast of Tarawa Atoll in the Republic of Kiribati.
A 35-year-old Portuguese national was medevaced to Hawaii by U.S. Coast Guard crews on Monday, days after he was apparently bit by a shark some 740 miles southeast of Tarawa Atoll in the Republic of Kiribati.
The man, who was on the U.S. flagged vessel Friesland, was bit by a shark on Friday after he entered the water to untangle fishing net from a submerged object, according to the Coast Guard. The 35-year-old suffered a severe injury to one of his arms. The Coast Guard did not clarify if it was his right or left arm.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Joint Rescue Coordination Center on Oahu responded to the notification. An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew was subsequently launched from Air Station Barbers Point on Sunday with a six-member surgical team from Kalawao Rescue, a Hawaii-based disaster medical team that provides initial and follow-up medical responses to major emergencies and disasters. The team brought with them 10 units of blood, medical supplies and medications.
The Hercules flew some 2,386 miles to Tarawa. There, the crew met with the patient, who was flown to shore by helicopter, before transporting him to Oahu where he was transferred in stable condition into the care of awaiting emergency medical technicians, according to the Guard.