Shark Attack Survivor Surfs Hawaii Competition 7 Weeks Later

Just seven weeks after a shark bit off his lower right leg, 63-year-old Kenji Nonaka couldn't stand being out of the water any longer.

The Wailuku, Maui resident returned to the waves this week as one of more than 90 competitors in the 18th annual Hawaii Adaptive Surfing Championships in Waikiki. For a man who surfed every single day before the attack at his regular spot at Waiehu Beach Park, those seven weeks of recovery were the hardest part.

"Seven weeks, I never touch the water, because before, every day I was surfing," Nonaka said at Monday's opening ceremony, held in the shadow of the Duke Kahanamoku statue.

His cheerful energy remains unchanged from the day he survived the attack. After completing rehab and getting fitted for a waterproof prosthetic leg, Nonaka got right back in the lineup.

He credits his Maui community for helping him through. "Everybody helped me," he said, grateful for the support from friends, family and even strangers who rallied around him.

Nonaka isn't the only competitor with a powerful story of resilience. Fellow Maui surfer Aaron Paulk, a Lahaina fire survivor, competes despite a condition that only allows him to see through his peripheral vision.

"It's been a process and it allows me to have more compassion for people that have gone through anything that's challenging," Paulk shared.

Why This Inspires

Event organizer Zoe Lewis says every athlete brings an incredible journey to the water. "They have incredible stories to tell of resilience, of getting back in the water after whatever might have happened," she explained.

The competition represents something deeper than trophies and rankings. It's a gathering of people who refused to let life's hardest moments define them, choosing instead to find strength in what they can still do.

For Nonaka, the only thing that truly bothered him after losing his leg was being away from the ocean he loves. Now he's exactly where he belongs: riding waves and inspiring others to push through their own challenges.