Surfer recounts terrifying encounter with massive, aggressive tiger shark at popular Hawaii surf spot
The estimated 12-foot tiger shark bit through the back of the surfboard, hurling the 24-year-old surfer into the open ocean, where it charged him again.
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THE TAKEAWAY
- A 24-year-old surfer encountered an estimated 12-foot tiger shark off Oahu’s South Shore.
- The shark bit through the back of his surfboard and knocked him into the open ocean.
- The surfer escaped with minor leg abrasions after his friend paddled over to help.
HONOLULU, Hawaii – An aggressive tiger shark left its mark on a surfboard but, thankfully, left the surfer unscathed in the Pacific Ocean off Oahu as Hurricane Lowell fueled towering waves across the Hawaiian Islands.
Albert Westpfal, 24, paddled out Tuesday afternoon at China Walls, a popular surf spot on Oahu’s South Shore, where he encountered the ride of his life — and it wasn’t a wave.
At around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Honolulu Ocean Safety responded to a report of an aggressive shark encounter at China Walls in the Portlock area. The estimated 12-foot tiger shark left a lasting mark on the 24-year-old surfer’s board, but the surfer escaped with only minor injuries. (Honolulu Ocean Safety Department / Tyler Wantanabe)
As Westpfal paddled over a reef, an estimated 12-foot tiger shark clamped down on the back of his surfboard. He initially thought he had hit the reef, but when he turned around, he was met with one of the most terrifying sights in the ocean: an aggressive shark.
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"I heard the crunch of the fiberglass behind me. At that moment, I knew what was happening before I even saw it," Westpfal wrote in his account of the incident, shared on social media by Honolulu Ocean Safety.
Photos of the damaged surfboard underscore the danger: The tiger shark bit through the board’s tail, with the rear fin doing little to stop it from ripping through the fiberglass.
The surfer involved in the encounter estimated the aggressive tiger shark was more than 12 feet long. (Tahsin Ceylan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The massive shark sent the surfer flying from his board into the open ocean, leaving him unprotected as the shark charged him once again.
"I was able to anticipate it swimming up on me and started kicking it in the head and punching its nose. It thrashed around and finally backed off," Westpfals said.
He wasn’t alone in the water with the predator that day.
The surfboard’s rear fin did little to stop the massive tiger shark from biting through the back of the board. (Honolulu Ocean Safety Department / Tyler Wantanabe)
Zach Sheerer, his college friend, had paddled out with him to enjoy the hurricane-fueled swell.
"I want to give thanks to my friend Zach who, without even a second of hesitation, paddled right towards me to help. In the moment of life or death, you find out who your real friends are and I want him to recognize Zach for having my back. He thought I had been bitten and without a second thought came to the rescue," Westpfal said.
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Fortunately, Westpfal was able to exit the water safely with a busted surfboard, abrasions on his leg from kicking the shark’s skin and one incredible story of surviving a terrifying encounter with one of the ocean’s top predators.
A large wave crashes along the shoreline at Electric Beach in Waianae, Hawaii, on September 7, 2026. ( Photo by Michelle Bir / AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Westpfal was riding a Tokoro surfboard inscribed with "Jesus Loves You" on the back bottom stringer — directly where the shark bit through the board.
"I thank God I only have a broken board and some abrasions on my leg from kicking its skin. The first board I ever stood up on was an old Tokoro, and I’ve been riding them ever since. All of the stringers on those boards have ‘Jesus Loves You’ written on them. I definitely felt that to be true," Westpfal said.