Bethany Hamilton


Bethany Meilani Hamilton is an American professional surfer who survived a 2003 shark attack in which her left arm was bitten off and who ultimately returned to professional surfing. She wrote about her experience in the 2004 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. She now has a new movie called Unstoppable where she shows the struggles and happiness of her family.

Surfing career

She was the first woman surfer to surf in the Rip Curl Cup in 2012.

Personal life

Hamilton was born on February 8, 1990 to Tom and Cheri Hamilton. She has two older brothers Noah and Timothy. She began surfing at the age of 8 and gained her first sponsorship by age 9. Hamilton was home-schooled from 6th grade through high school. She is a Christian. In early 2012 Hamilton met youth minister Adam Dirks through mutual friends. They became engaged in 2013. The couple was married on August 18, 2013 at an estate on Kauai's north shore, near where she grew up. The couple have a son named Tobias, born in 2015. In 2018 they had a second son, Wesley. She also has two shar pei dogs named Hanalei "Hana" and Kombucha "Booch".

Shark attack and recovery

On October 31, 2003, Hamilton, aged 13 at the time, went for a morning surf along Tunnels Beach, Kauai, with her best friend Alana Blanchard, Alana's father and brothers, Holt and Byron, when a tiger shark attacked her, severing her left arm just below the shoulder. The Blanchards helped paddle her back to shore, then Alana's father fashioned a tourniquet out of a rash guard and wrapped it around the stump of her arm. She was rushed to Wilcox Memorial Hospital. By the time she arrived there she had lost over 60% of her blood and was in hypovolemic shock. A doctor living in a hotel nearby raced to the rescue. Her father, who was scheduled to have knee surgery that same morning, was already there, but she took his place in the operating room. During subsequent media interviews, she confirmed that she felt normal when she was bitten and did not feel much pain from the bite at the moment of the disaster, but felt numb on the way to the hospital.
When the news broke out of the shark attack, a family of fishermen led by Ralph Young presented to investigators photos of a tiger shark they had caught and killed about one mile from the attack site. It had surfboard debris in its mouth. When measurements of its mouth were compared with those of Hamilton's broken board, it matched. In late 2004, the police officially confirmed that it was the same one that had attacked her.
Despite the trauma of the incident, Hamilton was determined to return to surfing. One month after the attack, she returned to her board.
Initially, she adopted a custom-made board that was longer and slightly thicker than standard and had a handle for her right arm, making it easier to paddle, and she learned to kick more to make up for the loss of her left arm. After teaching herself to surf with one arm, she returned to surfing on November 26, 2003, just 26 days after the attack and entered her first major competition on January 10, 2004. She now uses standard competitive performance short-boards. The shark-bitten surfboard that Hamilton was riding during the attack, as well as the bathing suit she was wearing at the time, a gift from ocean photographer Aaron Chang, are on display at the California Surf Museum in Oceanside, California.

Media

Since the attack she has appeared as a guest on numerous television shows. Her manager, Roy "Dutch" Hofstetter, who went on to produce the film Soul Surfer, managed her rise through the media from shark attack victim to inspirational role model. The television shows she has appeared on include The Biggest Loser, 20/20, Good Morning America, Inside Edition, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Today Show, The Tonight Show and Dude Perfect, as well as in the magazines People, Time, and American Girl. Additionally she was the cover story in the first issue of niNe magazine.
She has participated in multiple public speaking events and is "motivating audiences worldwide to live their life with more tenacity, courage, and faith".
In 2004 she won the ESPY Award for Best Comeback Athlete and also received the Courage Teen Choice Award.
In 2004 MTV Books published Hamilton's book, Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board, which describes her ordeal. Her story is also told in the 2007 short subject documentary film Heart of a Soul Surfer. Described as a "faith-based documentary", the film addresses her devout Christianity and the courage and faith in Jesus Christ in the aftermath of the shark attack, and follows her quest for spiritual meaning.
In 2009 she was a contestant on Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? and won $25,000. In 2010 she appeared on an episode of ABC's .
In 2011 Hamilton appeared in a video for the Christian organization I Am Second, telling of her struggle after the shark attack and how she trusted in God to get her through it. In 2011 a feature film Soul Surfer, based on her 2004 book, was released in theaters. Hamilton was portrayed by actress AnnaSophia Robb. Hamilton herself performed all the one-armed surfing stunts in it.
She also appeared on the TLC series 19 Kids and Counting the same year, in the episode titled "Duggars Under the Sea", when the Duggar family visited her in Atlanta, Georgia.
Hamilton plays herself in the film Dolphin Tale 2, which revolves around the baby dolphin Hope's story. Hamilton and her husband, Adam Dirks, competed as a team on the 25th season of The Amazing Race, finishing in third place. It premiered on 2014 on CBS.
Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable is set to tell the story of her transition from childhood to motherhood. "From chasing her toddler to chasing the biggest waves. Bethany is continuously re-writing the rules on being a fearless athlete, and brings a new meaning to the phrase, 'Surf Like a Girl'".

Books

Hamilton has published eight books with her Mom publishing one about her story.
Book TitleAuthorsYear PublishedPlot
Soul Surfer:A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the BoardBethany Hamilton, Rick Bundschuh, and Sheryl Berk2004Autobiography detailing the time leading up to the shark attack, how she recovered, dealt with media attention, and how she ultimately got back on the board and returned to competition
Devotions for the Soul SurferBethany Hamilton2006, reprinted in 2011Christian devotional book for young girls
Rise Above: A 90-day DevotionalBethany Hamilton2007Christian devotional for young girls discussing both "hot and cool topics that every young girl faces"
Ask Bethany: FAQs: Surfing, Faith, and FriendsBethany Hamilton2007Bethany answers questions discussing faith and how it has helped her throughout her life
Raising a Soul Surfer: One Family's Epic TaleCheri Hamilton, Rick Bundschuh2011This book was written by Hamilton's Mom and provides the story of Bethany's shark attack through the perspective of her parents.
Body and Soul: A Girl's Guide to a Fit, Fun, and Fabulous LifeBethany Hamilton, Dustin Dillberg2014Provides readers with guidelines to become their healthiest self and practice a fit lifestyle. Includes workouts, healthy recipes, and tips for coping with stress
Ask Bethany: Bethany Answers Over 200 Questions from Girls Like YouBethany Hamilton, Doris Rikkers2014, reprinted 2016Bethany answers fan questions about "a wide variety of topics about her life and faith"
Be Unstoppable: The Art of Never Giving UpBethany Hamilton2018In this book Bethany "inspires readers to be bold, enjoy life, and take risk of trusting God each day. Includes photos, inspiration quotes, and life lessons from Hamilton
Unstoppable MeBethany Hamilton, Adam Dirks, illustrated by Gill Guile2018Children's book based on Bethany's story. It follows Makana the lion who enjoys surfing but loses her nerve after wiping out on the water. With the help of her friends she rediscovers her love for surfing.

Outreach programs

Hamilton is involved in numerous charitable efforts, including her own foundation, Friends of Bethany, which reaches out to amputees and youth, encouraging them to overcome difficulties by offering hope through Jesus Christ. Using her platform as a professional athlete to promote living a fit and healthy lifestyle, she authored the book Body and Soul in 2014. In 2019 a surf documentary was made about her, Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable', which was accompanied by a photo book and a children's book.
Within the Friends of Bethany Foundation there are four different programs: