Friends say the 61-year-old Maui surfer who lost the lower part of his leg to a shark Friday morning off Waiehu Beach Park, always wore the biggest smile “while cruising down the waves.”

“Kenji is the brightest light to show up every morning on the Wai side — rain or shine, howling tradewinds or Maui glass — he is always out there stoked, dedicated, and sharing his enthusiastic, ‘I happy!’” wrote friend Charissa Leising, organizer of a GoFundMe account for his recovery.

Kenji, whose last name was not disclosed, was surfing off Waiehu Beach Park just north of Wailuku at the surf spot “Sandpiles” when he was bitten just below the knee by a shark, Maui County fire and police officials said on a post on the county website.

First responders said his leg was completely severed just below the knee.

Maui Fire and Public Safety Assistant Chief Jeff Giesea said the victim was alert while being treated on shore.

However, the county said he was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center in critical condition, but his condition Friday afternoon was unknown.

Leising wrote that his good friends and regular morning crew helped him in after the attack.

She said that “he was recovering well in the ICU.”

“As soon as he was out of surgery, he sagely said, ‘I still love the ocean!’ and we all want to support him in getting back to what he loves,” Leising wrote.

“Please consider donating to the happiest and most loving surfer out there to support his healing journey,” she wrote.

By Friday evening the GoFundMe account had amassed over $20,000 in donations to support his recovery. To donate, go to 808ne.ws/40oSHI5 Opens in a new tab.

The Waiehu Beach Park’s gate was closed Friday morning, and all beachgoers were advised to stay out of the water from Paukukalo to Waihee until further notice.

Giesea said his department’s shark protocol is to warn the public to stay out of the water for a distance of 1 mile in each direction of the location of the incident.

The warning is in effect until at least noon today but could be extended if further shark activity is seen in the area.

Two Ocean Safety Officers patrolled nearby waters Friday on rescue watercraft. A Maui Fire Department battalion chief, an engine company and a drone operator were also on-scene. The drone operator was using an MFD drone to monitor offshore waters for any shark activity.

Department of Land and Natural Resources Division of Conservation and Resources Enforcement officers also responded to the scene.

In the past, DLNR would take the lead in responding to shark bite incidents at beaches without lifeguards. But as of Aug. 12, DLNR had indicated it will be involved only when requested by the counties.

A request for mutual aid was made for Friday’s incident. DOCARE officers posted shark warning signs, assisted in cordoning off the area and worked with fire personnel to provide ongoing monitoring.

DLNR said in an email reply to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that shark incident protocols were suspended because the department could not gain agreement from the counties to continue them.

In 2016 a University of Hawaii study showed that the reason Maui sees more shark attacks than any other Hawaiian Island is that it has a large and protected shallow ocean shelf. The study was commissioned by DLNR following a spike in shark bites in 2012 and 2013 off Maui.

Tiger sharks are attracted to the vast shelf area of reef habitat due to its abundance of their prey, which is also ideal for mating and pupping.

And some of the most visited waters by tiger sharks are also frequented by people.

The study, by Carl Meyer’s UH Institute of Marine Biology research team, used satellite and acoustic tracking to monitor the movement of 41 tiger sharks around Maui and Oahu for two years. The sharks visited Maui 2-1/2 times per month, compared with 1-1/2 times a month for Oahu and once every two months for Kauai and Hawaii island.

Many more sharks were detected per day in Maui waters.

Off southwestern Maui, tiger sharks were present more than 80% of the time.

Oahu-tagged tiger sharks visited Maui waters in large numbers during the winter months — the peak mating season — but Maui-tagged sharks stayed in Maui waters.