Shark attack victim Harvey Miller said he won't be able to walk for two to three months to recover after being bitten by a tiger shark off Bellows Thursday. He spoke to the media today at The Queen's Medical Center. BRUCE ASATO I The Honolulu Advertiser

But "it's better than leaving the island in a box," he said yesterday.

Miller, a 36-year-old civil lawyer from Toledo, Ohio, left his bed at The Queen's Medical Center for the first time today after undergoing surgery to repair his damaged leg.

He was groggy and barely kept his eyes open at times, and apologized for his appearance.

"I'm (usually) a bit of a jokester," Miller told reporters.

He had been looking at fish when an 8-foot tiger shark bit him in the leg around 3 p.m. Thursday.