A tiger shark, similar to the one pictured here, attacked a surfer holding his 8-year-old son off Maui on Saturday. (AP)
A surfer says he punched and smacked a shark with his board while surfing with his young sons to stop an attack off Maui.
Kaleo Roberson told the Maui News that he was surfing Saturday with 20 others -- including his twin 8-year-old sons and a 6-year-old son -- off Maalaea when a 12- to 14-foot tiger shark appeared.
Roberson didn't see the shark until it was a few feet away. He remembers a wide-open mouth with teeth coming at him. No one was injured.
Roberson says he slid to the side of his board and hit the shark's nose with his hand. He also kicked it and swung his board at the animal twice before paddling to shore.
The shark left a 14-inch-long bite near the tail of the surfboard.
"It was something you dream of on 'Shark Week,'" Roberson told the newspaper. "It was so close to me and the mouth was so open when it came up. It was in pure attack mode, and it was just right there. I was basically in its mouth."
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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