Coordinated Care Close to Home Made a Remarkable Comeback Possible for One Kauai Surfer

The morning was perfect. The sun was out. The breeze was steady. Waves were cresting at 3-5 feet. Conditions were prime for the first swell of the season.

Surfers filled Hanalei Bay, hungry to catch a ride.

"I grew up in the ocean. Water and surfing is life for me, and just where I belong," said Kauai native Kevin Kanehe.

As a wave started coming in, Kevin caught the eye of his friend, Leroy Slingerland, who was positioned just a few yards away.

They exchanged shakas. Then – bang – a heavy mass throttled Kevin’s left side.

"At first, I thought it was a boat, maybe a surfer. The last thing in my head was a shark," Kevin said.

The reality quickly sank in as Kevin saw the animal's massive mouth gaping above him.

"All I saw was just the mouth over my head, bottom teeth was under my board. Just a big rainbow of teeth coming down," Kevin said

The jaws closed on Kevin's leg. He struggled with the shark in a tug-of-war battle for his life.

Miraculously, he was able to get the shark to release. Kevin was flung from his board into the waters. Leroy immediately called for Kevin to swim to his board. As the whitewash carried the two to shore, Kevin’s other friend, Jeff McBride, came running to help.

"As we got to the shallows, we picked Kevin up to carry him in. Then, all of a sudden, a lady came out of nowhere and said she was an EMT," Jeff said.

She wrapped Kevin’s leg in a tourniquet as the ambulance arrived to take Kevin to Wilcox Medical Center.

There, Kevin was met by another surfer – Dr. David Rovinsky, a Hawaii Pacific Health Medical Group (HPHMG) orthopedic surgeon with the Wilcox Bone & Joint Center.

"I was really, really surprised and really happy to see him – another surfer helping me out," Kevin said.

"It was shocking when I got there and I saw it was Kevin, someone who I've known for more than 20 years and someone who I surf with regularly," Dr. Rovinsky said. "What's unique about Kauai is that every patient we take care of is someone who we know from the community."

Dr. Rovinsky's thoughts turned to whether they'd be able to save Kevin's leg. The shark's teeth had gone through the muscle and tendon all the way to the bone. The force behind the bite was so powerful, it even fractured Kevin's leg bone.

Dr. Rovinsky and his team were able to repair the damage with minimal blood loss, sparing Kevin's leg.

During his brief battle with the shark, Kevin had also sustained a nerve injury in his hand that required specialized surgery. Also a part of the Wilcox Bone & Joint Center team, HPHMG Orthopedic and Hand Surgeon Dr. Alyssa Carnegie performed the necessary operation a few days later.

"We have the best people here on the island," Kevin said about his care team. "I got to stay here on Kauai. We have the right doctors here."

Five months later, Kevin was back surfing his favorite spot at Hanalei Bay.

"It's just inspiring to see courage, grit, determination, and that will that gets people through this very rough passage. And it's the joy of walking with patients through that valley of recovery and seeing them get back to doing the things they love to do," said Dr. Rovinsky.

Watch the video below for Kevin's full story and to hear more about this inspiring story of hope.

Published on: May 13, 2026