An outpouring of support continues for a North Shore resident and surfer who lost his lower left leg last week in a shark attack.

Colin Cook, 25, a Tiverton, R.I., native who was living out his surfing dreams on the North Shore, hopes to return to the waves, family and friends say. “He definitely wants to go back. I can’t imagine him not surfing,” said Cook’s friend, Brendan Prior, in a phone interview from Tiverton.

A GoFundMe online fundraising account to assist with medical expenses and a prosthetic leg had reached $43,000 in a steady stream of donations by Wednesday afternoon. Friends and family who set up the account hope to raise $50,000.

Along with donations, messages from around the world have been posted in support of Cook and his recovery.

Cook was attacked by a 10- to 12-foot shark while surfing at Leftovers, a popular North Shore surf spot, on Friday morning. The shark grabbed his left leg and pulled him backward off his surfboard. Cook tried to pull himself back up to his board as the shark attempted to pull him underwater, Prior said.

The shark severed his left leg below the knee, but doctors performed an amputation above the knee because of tissue damage. Cook also lost a third of his middle finger on his left hand, which he used to punch the shark repeatedly.

Cook, who moved to Hawaii 3-1/2 years ago, remains at the Queen’s Medical Center.

“He’s on a road to recovery,” said his father, Glenn Cook, who flew to Hawaii from Rhode Island to be at his bedside.

Prior said Cook is likely to remain at Queen’s for the rest of the week, then be transferred to a rehabilitation hospital. He is expected to return to Rhode Island for a few months, and might be back in Hawaii in January to resume work at his surfboard manufacturing business.

Cook began surfing at age 6, said his father, adding that his son had a longtime dream of being involved in the surfboard industry.

North Shore surfboard shaper John “JC” Carper of JCHawaii served as Cook’s mentor before Cook opened his own business.

Although there are concerns about infection during his recovery, Cook’s father said doctors have said he eventually will be back to doing the things he loves — including surfing. “We’re just happy he’s alive,” Prior said.

For information about assisting Cook with medical expenses, visit gofundme.com/surfcolin.