A relaxing surf session in Kauai turned into a nightmare for lifeguard Chance Swanson, who is now recovering after being attacked by a shark near Hanalei Bay.
Swanson, 33, had spent the morning running errands — painting his bathroom and handling safety checks for his car — before heading to his usual surf spot on Wednesday, Nov. 5. Moments later, he found himself fighting to survive.
“Next thing you know, something is just chopping down on my leg with so much force,” he told Hawaii News Now. “I [couldn’t] see it… but I just knew it was a shark.”
He added that he immediately prayed, believing that faith helped keep him alive during the ordeal.
At the time of the attack, lifeguards noticed Swanson drifting in the water, “floating on his back with a big red stain around him,” Kauai Ocean Safety Bureau Chief Kalana Vierra told WBTW. They rushed to reach him, applied a tourniquet, and transported him to Wilcox Medical Center.
“It was terrifying, but I couldn’t feel a thing,” Swanson said, explaining that his focus was simply on staying conscious long enough for someone to find him. He tried to tie his own tourniquet but was too weak after rapidly losing blood.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(702x293:704x295):format(webp)/chance-swanson-110725-f3e7ea815c204473841498ae5936d47a.jpg)
According to a GoFundMe launched by his mother, Rose Keaweamahi-Hoovler, the attack — believed to be by a tiger shark — caused multiple severe injuries to Swanson’s left leg. He was medevaced to Queen’s Medical Center on Oahu for intensive care.
Queen’s ICU and trauma surgeon Dylan Davey, M.D., told Hawaii News Now that the bite severed the main artery and vein in Swanson’s leg, causing significant blood loss. He has since undergone several surgeries, and his medical team remains hopeful.
“He’s young, healthy,” said plastic surgeon Peter Deptula, M.D. “He has the best attitude… so he has the best recovery potential and the best rehabilitation potential.” Still, he added, “We’re not gonna celebrate… until he’s walking out the door.”
Despite the trauma, Swanson says the incident hasn’t shaken his connection to the ocean.
“I’m looking forward to getting back to a normal life, riding and surfing,” he shared, confident that his care team will get him there. He also reflected on how the experience shifted his perspective: “It was like a mental block almost to tell my friends that I love them, and now it’s just super easy.”
