Bethany Hamilton

Bethany Hamilton is known as an inspirational shark attack survivor. Her attack left her with only one arm and a slim chance to continue surfing. The first time Bethany got back to surfing she had one fear. And it was not what you think.

Born into a surfing family in Kauai, Hawaii, Bethany started surfing at an early age. Her first competition was at the age of 8. She won the long and short board divisions. This sparked a love for surf competition. Bethany planned to surf her whole life. But her plans were put on hold when her life was changed in an instant.  

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In 2003, 13 year old Bethany went out for a usual morning surf with her best friend Alana Blanchard and Alana's dad. As Hamilton lay on her surfboard waiting for a wave with her left arm hanging from the side, a 14-foot tiger shark attacked her without any warning. The shark took a 17 inch wide bite out of Bethany's surfboard and her left arm. This incident seemed to end Bethany's goal of being the greatest woman surfer and it almost ended her life. Bethany lost almost 70% of her blood that morning on the way to the nearby hospital.

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 Less than one month after the accident she was back in the waves. "The hardest thing was that I thought I wouldn't be able to surf again," said Bethany. In January of 2004, Bethany made her return at a surf competition, placing 5th in the Open Women's division. Bethany never quit trying to become better.

In 2004 Bethany wrote about her experience in the autobiography Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board. In April 2011, the feature film Soul Surfer was released, based on the book and additional interviews. Bethany has competed in more competitions and in 2009 she came in 2nd place at a Junior Championship in Australia.