County officials closed two West Hawaii beaches Saturday afternoon because of a shark attack about an eighth of a mile north of Kahaluu Beach Park.

Twenty - year - old Koa Paulo of Waimea said the shark grabbed him as his friends watched from shore while he was splashing around in an area called "Bowls."

"I kept on jumping in and out. The last time I jumped in was when it bit me," Paulo said. "I felt something clamp my leg and I knew it was a shark. As soon as I looked, I saw my foot in the shark's mouth."

Paulo said the shark's face was 12 inches away from his own. "He bit and he caught my leg for at least four seconds," before letting go, Paulo said.

The man said he was only 5 feet from the rocky shoreline and it only took him two strokes to reach the rocks.

Mayor Harry Kim, acting in his role as Deputy Civil Defense Administrator, said Paulo had been swimming in water that was only 5 feet deep. "His swim mate confirmed it was a shark bigger than a swimmer," Kim said.

Paulo said after he climbed out of the water he looked down at his bleeding leg and then collapsed.

He said a guest in a vacation condominium fronting Bowls called 911. A nurse staying at the condo went to his aid.

Fire Captain Gary Sturdy said Paulo was waiting on the side of Alii Drive when an ambulance arrived at 1 p.m.

The paramedics found Paulo with multiple cuts and slashes from his right lower calf down to his heel. Paulo said the injuries looked bad to him but not to the doctors, whose biggest concern was possible damage to tendons near his ankle bone. He said he was in surgery for two hours. "They just kind of cleaned me out and sewed me up," he said Saturday evening.

Paulo, a construction worker between jobs, said he expects to be released today. But he said he doubts he'll be able to walk - or swim - for a month because of the swelling. Paulo said the attack hasn't deterred him from entering the ocean again. "I'm not even mad at the shark," he said. "I just freaked out for a moment."

Mayor Kim said both Kahaluu Beach Park and "Magic Sands" Beach Park were closed as a precaution. "Signs have been posted by the Department of Land and Natural Resources," Kim said. The signs depict a shark and the words "Shark sighting. Danger," Kim said.

He said county lifeguards would stay on duty Saturday until 7 p.m. - two and a half hours beyond their usual quitting time - to warn people to stay out of the water.

A Fire Department helicopter flew along the Kona coast looking for sharks Saturday afternoon. "No sharks were sighted," said Capt. Michael Millare. He said the crew will go up again this morning and then report back to Civil Defense.

Kim said the county will probably reopen the beaches today if no sharks are spotted.