Bethany Hamilton Accomplishments You Probably Didn't Know About!

Every human that is born has the potential to make an identity and make a difference in the world.

While there are already many significant figures who just did that, there are many more to come. One such personality is Bethany Hamilton.

So, if you are interested in surfing and have a closer look at this world of waves, then we surely have something for you. Here we will be discussing Bethany Meilani Hamilton, an American professional surfer.

We will be looking at information about what makes her unique, her achievements, some things she did that changed the world, and also some important incidents that became famous worldwide.

Born on February 8, 1990, Bethany Meilani Hamilton is a professional surfer. She was born in Lihue, Hawaii, the US. She became a famous writer when she penned her shark experience of a shark attack in the book 'Soul Surfer: a True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting To Get Back on the Board'.

While she wrote this book, this story was adapted to a movie, 'Soul Surfer' in the year 2011. After that major accident, it took her some but she came back to professional surfing.

Born to Mr. Tom Hamilton and Mrs. Cheri Hamilton, she has two elder brothers as her siblings. She had been an enthusiastic surfer since she first learned to surf when she was three, following this at the age of eight, she was all set to comepet in competitions.

It was during the time when she turned 10 that she received her first sponsorship. Some of her major achievements include ESPY Award, NSSA National Helping Kids Championship, and the list goes on.

Now we have had an insight into her early life, let us look into some more interesting facts about her life of 31 years. Afterwards, also check facts on the accomplishments of Barak Obama and Barack Obama facts.

What makes Bethany Hamilton unique?

Everyone at least once in their life might have heard that ‘every person is unique in their own way’. While we all are unique some become heroes, while some stories remain a mystery.

But Bethany Hamilton's story is not a mystery, rather a very inspiring story for all, men, women, children, and old alike. Not only did she start at the young age of eight, but she is also still a major name in the world of surfing.

While she took the world of surfing with surprise after her comeback, the world of autobiographies too bought her recognition. Her autobiography remains a very inspiring tale and the adaptation of the movie made her story reach a much greater audience.

Let us have some crucial points from the life of this inspiring woman:

Starting from sixth grade, Bethany Hamilton was homeschooled by none other than her mom, who was a housewife. She returned to school only when she reached high school.

Her first accomplishment was at the age of eight when she won the Rell Sunn Menehune.

The first sponsorship Bethany Hamilton signed was with Rip Curl and Tim Carroll when she was at the young age of nine and gave a significant direction to her surfing career.

Bethany Hamilton won The Open Women’s Division of the NSSA National Championship when she was 12 years old.

Bethany Hamilton lost her left forelimb when a tiger shark bit it off on October 31, 2003, when she went surfing with Alana Blanchard, her best friend at Tunnels Beach in Kauai.

The attack shook her and she put on a tough fight even after suffering a 60% loss of blood and came back to surfing just one month after the terrifying attack.

She soon resumed her training and started participating in professional surfing competitions again. She won her first national title at the NSSA National Championships within one year after the traumatic ancient. She also managed to grab the first prize in the under-18 championship of the competition.

She also managed to win the National Scholastic National Championships in her age category merely eight months after the shark attack.

She achieved 13th position in the Reef Hawaiian Pro held on Oahu island in the year 2008. She was just 18 years old at that time.

She is among the most inspirational people and her shark bitten surfboard along with a bathing suit can be seen at the Oceanside California Surf Museum.

How did Bethany Hamilton change the world?

If we talk about what significant impact she has on the world. Like any other sports, she was a name that went down in history.

Bethany Hamilton is much more than an athlete.

She is a synonym of inspiration, she is an author of the autobiography 'Soul Surfer: a True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting To Get Back on the Board' which tells the tale of her life and how she was always supported by her family and friends to help her overcome the shark attack and continue to surf.

When the story came out to the world, she became a name that will not be forgotten.

Not only this but the book and movie will forever be etched into the minds of the readers and viewers.

When Barack Obama called her for a breakfast meeting, the world knew what she had achieved in life is nothing but a story that will inspire people of all ages to never stop in the journey of their dreams, even when life seems to try its best to stop you.

Not only was she an amazingly deserving server for all the awards that she won but she is still considered to be remembered whenever one talks about surfing.

She says that after the attack she didn’t feel much pain, but it was during the journey to the hospital that she started to feel numb.

Losing 60% of a body's blood is a lot, but she showed that where there is a will, there is a way. This episode of her life, the single chapter not only changed her life but came as an inspiration to young minds all around the world.

Not only her efforts but also her hard work paid off and she became a big name that the world will remember forever.

Bethany Hamilton Shark Attack

As we have covered so far, there was a major shark attack that took place on October 31, 2003, when a talented young surfer lost her left arm, as a tiger shark bit it off. Let us have a clear and deeper look at her story.

All questions like why, when, how, and every other query that comes up will be answered.

It was on the day of October 31, 2003, when Bethany along with Alana Blanchard, her good friend, brother, and her father visited Tunnels Beach in Kauai. She was enjoying a leisurely morning surf with her friend and her family.

When she was relaxing on the surfboard with her hands inside the water, she was talking with her friend. It was during this time that a tiger shark of about 14 ft (4.3 m) in length attacked her.

This shark bit off the left arm from under the shoulder. Which was nothing less than a near-death experience.

Her friends with much difficulty took her to the shore, where her father provided her with first aid, taking her for medical attention. When she reached Wilcox Memorial Hospital, Bethany had lost as much as 60% of her body’s blood while reaching the state of hypovolemic shock.

A full-fledged investigation took place and the shark was killed by the fishermen's party led by Ralph Younger. An official statement soon followed.

Even after all this, Bethany was all set to come back to the sea where she belonged and it took her one month of recovery before she was back with her surfboard to ride the waves once again.

She got herself a customized board to re-teach herself to surf with one arm. It took her 26 days and she entered one major contest on January 10, 2004.

But as of today, she uses a standard surfboard and can still make the viewers spellbound.

She is nothing short of an inspiration proving the saying that 'nothing is stopping you to achieve your dreams, other than your own fears'.

The shark attack became a piece of sensational news, this young woman didn’t let that one episode of her life decide what she would achieve. Till today she surfs professionally and is living happily with her family of three children, a couple of dogs, and a loving husband, Adam Dirks.

Adam Dirks was a youth pastor whom Bethany Hamilton started dating in the year 2012. After a year of dating, the couple decided to get married and in August 2013, they got married.

Then in the year 2015, she announced her pregnancy to the world and also said that she plans to cut back on her busy schedule. Then their second son, Wesley was born in March 2018 and their third son Micah was born on February 14, 2021.

Her favorite book is the Bible which tells us how faithful she is and she has reflected on how her faith helped her to fight the toughest battle of her life.

Did you know that Bethany Hamilton participated in her first real surf competition at the age of eight years old in the year 1998?

Bethany Hamilton has been through a lot of ups and downs in her life but she has always managed to emerge victorious against all odds. Bethany Hamilton is one of the leading professional surfers of all time in the field of competitive surfing.

She has often been titled the comeback athlete for her stupendous achievements in the field of competitive surfing even after going through the traumatic shark attack.

In the year 2011, an on-screen adaptation of her biography ‘Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board' was released across the world.

This was a biopic drama that showcased her life, before and after the shark attack. The character of Bethany was played by Annasophia Robb and the role of her parents was reprised by renowned actors Helen Hunt and Dennis Quaid.

The movie opened to a rousing welcome from the audience who appreciated the performances of all the lead actors, Annasophia Robb, Helen Hunt, and Dennis Quaid.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for Bethany Hamilton accomplishments you probably didn't know about! then why not take a look at interesting facts about Teddy Roosevelt, or Teddy Roosevelt presidency?