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| Bethany Hamilton, age 13 |
In 2003 on Halloween Day Bethany Hamilton, age 13, went surfing at Tunnels with her best friend Alana Blanchard and Alana's brother Byron and father Holt. About 30 minutes into their surf session, while lying on her surfboard, a 14 foot tiger shark came and bit off Bethany's left arm.
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| The shark that attacked Bethany |
Byron went ahead and called 911 while Holt and Alana brought Bethany to shore. They used a surf leash as a tourniquet which paramedics say ultimately saved her life. Bethany lost 60% of her blood and spent 1 week in the hospital.
With a promising future of becoming a pro surfer this was a devastation to all involved. Three weeks later Bethany went back to the waves with bandages still on what was left of her arm with best friend Alana in tow. She struggled at first but got up on her third wave. |
| Bethany and Alana; first surf |
From that point on Bethany trained very hard to not let her injuries get in the way of her dreams. She has a special handle built into her board to help her duck dive under large waves. She had to relearn her surfing techniques and readjust her balance. Just 19 months after the attack Bethany took first place in the NSSA National Surfing Championship. Both her and Alana ride professionally for Rip Curl and Sticky Bumps. Bethany is considered one of the best female surfers in the world.
In addition to making her surfing dreams come true, Bethany has taken part in other businesses to help share her story with others. A documentary titled Heart of a Soul Surfer, featuring Bethany, her family, Alana, Holt, and other up and coming surfers was created as well as the autobiography she wrote. Just last spring her story hit the big screen with the movie Soul Surfer starring AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quad, and Lorraine Nicholson.
Heart of a Soul Surfer Documentary trailer
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