This past Friday, McKenzie Clark was surfing around home on the Big Island of Hawaii when what is alleged to be a 12-foot tiger shark bit her board. According to a video segment produced by ABC News, she was lifted into the air as it bit down on her rail and her screams for help pierced the air. A nearby friend heard her plea and paddled over to save her life.
Brian Wargo, the friend, paddled after the two as the shark dragged her out to sea. Clark was kept in tow by her leash and did not struggle free. When Wargo made it to his friend, he latched on to the dorsal fin and began punching the shark. It wasn’t until the fifth blow that the tiger shark let go and swam back out to sea.
Clark suffered a bitten hand and has a full jaw impression to show for the encounter on her board, but she is otherwise intact physically after receiving 20 stitches and a skin graft. According to the Inquisitr, this attack marks the fourth tiger shark attack in the last two weeks. This is attributed to Hurricane Ana’s passing and the opaque waters left behind making for a shark’s ideal predatory setting.
McKenzie Clark and Brian Wargo (right) all smiles after a harrowing incident. Screenshot: ABC News
