Her fame showed up fast and for all the wrong reasons. Bethany Hamilton was meant to arrive to the mainstream as a champion, as the premier female surfing talent of her generation — blessed with world-class athletic ability, whiplash-inducing beauty, and a spirit so definite and defined that it could light up a room.
Instead, at the age of 13, the Hawaiian native was attacked by a 15-foot tiger shark in the early-morning hours while surfing with some friends at her home break, Tunnels Beach, on the island of Kauai. She lost her left arm and more than 60 percent of her body’s blood while slipping into hypovolemic shock on the way to the hospital.
Lucky to be alive when she emerged from the hospital some three weeks later, Hamilton was a media sensation: the blond-haired teenage surfer girl who had escaped death. But while everyone fawned over her and fretted about how the traumatic experience might derail the young teenager, Hamilton was planning a plot twist no one saw coming: One month after the attack, she was back on her board.
