Surfer Girl Makes Comeback After Shark Attack
Bethany Hamilton. (Adam Rountree/AP Photo)
Bethany Hamilton Spurns Self-Pity; Returns to Competition and Earns Acclaim After Losing Her Arm
Most observers doubted teenage surfing prodigy Bethany Hamilton would ever be able to surf competitively again after she lost her left arm — and nearly her life — in a vicious shark attack off the coast of Hawaii in October 2003.
But Hamilton has refused to let her story become a tragedy. She has since returned to surfing, and has proven she can still compete with the best in her sport. Her courage and positive attitude has also earned her numerous awards and product endorsements — as well as widespread acclaim and admiration.
Hamilton's recovery was not easy. She was already a teen surfing star when a huge shark attacked her as she was lying on her surfboard in the calm waters off the North Shore of Kauai. The creature took a 16-inch bite out of her board and Hamilton nearly died from blood loss. She was just 13 years old at the time.
She says when she first returned to surfing, she felt like she was learning the sport all over again, "just learning with one arm, and adapting to not having two there."
"Before … I was really strong at paddling … Since this happened, I only have one arm and my paddling's definitely slowed down," she said, likening surfing with one arm to "a one-arm push-up."
Source: ABC News
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