A 25-year-old former Newport resident is in critical condition following a shark attack while surfing on Friday morning off of Oahu’s North Shore.

Colin Cook, now a resident of Kawailoa, moved to Hawaii from Newport, Rhode Island three years ago, according Lisa Kubota from Hawaiian News Now;

“Here’s a photo of him with his father. We’re told Cook is in surgery at the Queen’s Medical Center after a shark bit his leg in waters off Leftovers Beach Park.”

The severity of the injuries have not been confirmed, some witnesses have reported that he appeared to have lost his leg above the knee and suffered hand injuries from fighting off the shark. Confirmation and details to come.

Update: According to Hawaii News Now – “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.”

Cook’s Ties To Newport, RI

Cook completed the School of Composites Technology program at International Yacht Restoration School (IYRS) here in Newport in 2013.

According to IYRS, Colin chose to pursue a lifestyle he was passionate about at JC Surfboards in Oahu, Hawaii, one of the top surfboard manufacturing companies in the world. After completing an internship, JC Surfboards brought Colin on in a full time design position with the company.

This story will be updated as more information is received.

Content Presented By

[the_ad_placement id=”manuel-ad”]

More From What'sUpNewp

Loading...

Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.

2 replies on “UPDATE: Former Newport Resident Loses Lower Leg in Shark Attack Off of Hawaii’s North Shore”