Off-Duty Lifeguard Bitten by Shark While Surfing Saved After He Was Spotted Floating with a 'Big Red Stain Around Him' By Charna Flam

A shark bit a lifeguard in Hawaii while he was surfing near Kauai on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

Kauai Ocean Safety lifeguard Chance Swanson, 33, was surfing with friends in an area called the “Middles” that afternoon. After his friends went back to shore, Swanson stayed in the water alone.

Shortly thereafter, a bystander realized something wasn’t right and alerted a lifeguard, Kauai Ocean Safety Bureau Chief Kalani Vierra told WBTW.

“The lifeguards looked with the binoculars and noticed that Chance was floating on his back with a big red stain around him,” Vierra told the outlet. “They went out immediately, and obviously they noticed that he was attacked by shark, and they put on a tourniquet right away.”

Kauai County Ocean Safety Bureau later determined that Swanson was attacked near the Pine Trees surf break around 3:10 p.m. local time, according to a news release.

First responders treated him on site as he was “going in and out of consciousness and going into shock,” Vierra told WBTW.

Swanson was transported to Wilcox Medical Center before receiving treatment at the Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, according to a GoFundMe page created to assist with his unexpected medical bills. Swanson has already had surgeries to repair an artery in his calf and repair his tibia bone.

It has not been reported what type of shark bit Swanson.

Just over an hour after the lifeguard was attacked, a 3- to 4-foot reef shark was seen at Kauai’s Poipu Beach, according to Kauai County’s Ocean Safety Bureau. 

After the attack, the beach was closed down, and “Shark Sighted” and “No Swimming” signs were posted. Hanalei Bay was still closed “due to continued shark sightings,” as of the morning of Friday, Nov. 7.

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Swanson’s mother, Rose Keaweamahi-Hoovler, told WBTW that as a mother of three sons, her “biggest fear” is them getting bitten by a shark.

“I thought he was dead because he lost so much blood,” Keaweamahi-Hoovler said. “Four of the doctors said without the tourniquets, Chance wouldn’t be here, so those lifeguards saved his life.”

Keaweamahi-Hoovler described the incident as “the worst news a mother can receive,” telling Hawaii News Now, “And it wasn’t good. Just chills. I started panicking and just went straight to Wilcox Hospital.” 

Swanson’s brother Tyler commented on his “kind-hearted soul.” 

“He’s really passionate about like the little things in life, just going out for a surf, riding his dirt bike with me or just being out in nature,” Tyler told Hawaii News Now. “It’s very unfortunate, but I try to look at it with a with a good outlook and I know he’s a very strong-willed person.”

Keaweamahi-Hoovler thanked the Kauai community for their love and support, saying that she feels “blessed” and “overwhelmed,” Hawaii News Now reported. She added, “I just want to say thank you to the lifeguards on Kauai who saved my son. Without them, he would be — not here.”

Keaweamahi-Hoovler created the GoFundMe page and described her son as “a well-respected lifeguard and surfer, and one of the humblest people you will ever meet,” adding, “He embodies the true spirit of Aloha, and is a shining star, always happy and smiling.”

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PEOPLE reached out to Keaweamahi-Hoovler for additional information.