Bethany Hamilton was the young teenager that every girl wants the life of. She was living in Hawaii with her family, she got to surf and go to the beach every day. Bethany was an amazing surfer, and started competing when she was just eight years old. In her first competition, she won both of her age group’s short and long board divisions.

Starting to become popular throughout the surfing community, she dreamed of becoming the best female surfer in all of Hawaii. Bethany would spend hours out on the water riding waves and training for her competitions. Her family and friends all would surf with her, cheering each other on every time someone had caught a wave.

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    One day when Bethany was just thirteen years old, she headed to Kauai’s North Shore in October with her friend Alana Blanchard, Alana's father, and her two brothers. 

While floating on her board, searching for a wave to ride, a 14 foot tiger shark attacked Bethany. The shark had taken off almost her whole left arm.

Despite the challenge of losing her arm, Hamilton got back out on the water and pushed herself to learn to surf again. 

She wasn’t afraid of the ocean, neither was she afraid of the animals who live in it. 

After months and months of training and pushing her limits, and setting new goals everyday. Bethany was officially back out on the water.

Bethany didn’t surf only to surf. She surfed to compete, and she competed to win.

    Her new goal: Compete again. Win again.

Just 13 years old, and breaking headlines after coming home from the hospital without her left arm. Within two years breaking headlines after winning her first National Surfing Title.

15 years old and winning her first National Title with one arm. Although, Bethany was still to make history, she has a whole life ahead of her to conquer. 

By just 26 years old, Hamilton had beat a 6 time world champion and top-ranked surfer in the world known as Tyler Wright. With that win in Fiji, Hamilton had officially won 6 surf titles in her career so far. 

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Now Bethany Hamilton is 30 years old and has started her own family of little surfers. She is married to Adam Dirks. A Christian Youth Minister who shares the same faith as Bethany. The couple has two sons Tobias (5 years old) and Wesley Phillip (2 years old) with another baby on the way!

Currently she lives in beautiful Kauai, Hawaii. Spending everyday thanking God for the life she lives, and the up and downs he had put her through to get her where she is now.

Faith is one of the most important things in life to Hamilton. She had grown up in a very religious family and had always spiritually had a close relationship with God. The relationship grew even closer for her when she lost her arm to a Tiger Shark.

Her faith had given her a sense of belonging no matter the challenge. Bethany wanted to take that feeling and be able to make others feel that way. So she had started her own non-profit organization called Friends of Bethany.