Bethany biography hamilton

Bethany hamilton today

Born in Hawaii in , Bethany Hamilton began competitive surfing at age 8. Her promising career was seemingly derailed at age 13 when a shark bit off her left arm, but she resumed surfing shortly afterward and won a national title in A successful author and public speaker, Hamilton has shared her experiences in documentary films and appeared on several popular reality TV programs.

Raised in a surfing family, along with older brothers Noah and Tim, Hamilton learned to handle the waves at an early age. She began competitive surfing at age 8, and by age 9 she had earned her first sponsorship. A member of the Hanalei Surf Co. On the morning of October 31, , Hamilton went out to surf at Tunnels Beach in Ha'ena with her best friend, Alana Blanchard, and Blanchard's father and brother.

While lying on her board, Hamilton suddenly felt intense pressure on her left arm and was pulled back and forth for a few seconds before the flurry passed. Initially feeling no pain, she noticed the water around her had turned red, and her shocked friends realized that her left arm had been severed nearly to the shoulder.

It was like pulling me back and forth, not like pulling me underwater. Just like, you know how you eat a piece of steak? It was kind of like that.