VIA – ABC 7
Friday, August 16, 2013
LOS ANGELES (KABC) — A pair of Orange County men came to the aid of a woman who lost an arm in a shark attack in Hawaii. The men jumped into shark-infested waters off Maui after hearing the woman’s cries for help.
Instead of running away from the water, a high-school teacher from Laguna Niguel and his friend risked their lives to save the life of a young woman from Germany.
Rick Moore was walking on the beach in Maui when he heard a woman’s screams, and someone yelled “shark attack!” In spite of the danger, he jumped into the water.
“Swam out there, and it was about 15 yards from her, I saw a young female with a bikini on, with blond hair, with a severed arm,” said Moore.
The 20-year-old woman had lost a lot blood and was nearly unconscious.
“She was in and out of it, saying these words: ‘I’m dying, I’m going to die,'” said Moore. “And I kept saying to her, ‘No you’re not, no you’re not, we’re going to get you to shore, we’re going to save you.”
The 57-year-old teacher grabbed the woman and started swimming the 75 yards back to the shore, realizing that he too could be attacked by the shark.
“I happened to be at the right place at the right time, swam out there, prayed over her, told her, ‘Hey, let’s see what we can do, see what God’ going to do,'” said Moore.
While someone on the beach called rescuers, Moore’s friend Nick Grisaffi jumped in to help.
“I could see he was fighting the current and so I went out about neck-deep water,” said Grisaffi. “As soon as he got to me, I was able to grab his arm and he was able to still hold onto her, and I pulled them up to waist-deep water, and that’s when I picked her up.”
“There’s no way she could have swam back with that current,” said Moore. “She was so far out with the loss of her limb, blood, there was absolutely no way she would have been alive.”
Other beachgoers joined the rescue, using a kayak to carry the woman up a trail. Moore performed CPR until an emergency medical crew arrived.
The beach was temporarily closed after the attack.
The two Southern California residents visited the German tourist in the hospital.
“I believe I’m going to be connected with her for life,” said Moore.
The woman had been snorkeling when she was attacked by the shark. She was hospitalized in stable condition.
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