And his punches were not producing the result he needed.
Then he changed his approach.
According to his account, Morita wrapped his arms and legs around the shark's body.
He attempted to use leverage against the animal while continuing to fight for release.
The maneuver brought him into extremely close contact with a powerful predator.
It was dangerous and unpredictable.
But he had already exhausted the immediate option of striking the shark with his fists.
Eventually, the animal released him.
The exact reason for that release cannot be established from the reported sequence.
What matters is that Morita was finally free.
He could move away from the shark.
And nearby surfers were able to assist him.
They helped bring him toward shore, where he received emergency assistance before being transported to hospital.
His right leg was seriously injured.
But he survived.
The incident became widely remembered because of the unusual way Morita fought back.
Instead of relying entirely on punches, he attempted to wrap himself around the shark and use his body to gain leverage.
That decision was made during a struggle in which he had already been pulled underwater twice.
The physical danger was extraordinary.
A tiger shark is adapted to move efficiently through water.
Its muscular body and powerful tail allow it to generate force that a human swimmer cannot easily resist.
Morita was fighting in the animal's environment, while one of his legs remained trapped in its jaws.
He had no specialized equipment to protect himself.
He could not predict the shark's movements.
And he had no assurance that his next action would succeed.
Yet he continued resisting.
The attack also illustrates how quickly an ordinary recreational activity can become a survival emergency.
Morita had not entered the ocean to interact with sharks.
He had gone surfing.
The encounter began suddenly, leaving him almost no time to prepare.
Within moments, he was fighting to free his leg while being pulled beneath the surface.
The difference between the beginning and the end of the incident was dramatic.
At the beginning, Morita was lying on a surfboard near Honolulu.
During the attack, he was trapped underwater in the jaws of a tiger shark.
At the end, he was alive and receiving medical treatment for a serious leg injury.
His experience also demonstrates the limitations of physical strength during encounters with large marine predators.