Learn About Bethany
Bethany’s Story
Known most notably as one of the biggest comeback stories of our era, Bethany Hamilton has become synonymous with inspiration. Her story of determination, faith, and hope has resounded in encouragement worldwide. At the age of 13 as a rising surf star, Bethany lost her left arm to a 14-foot tiger shark, which seemed to end her dream career. However, one month after the attack, Bethany returned to surfing and within two years had won her first national surfing title. Bethany’s foundation of faith has been her backbone; her source of truth, hope, and strength. At 17 years old, she realized her dream of surfing professionally and she is still an active surf competitor to this day. Bethany has been able to touch a large number of people with her faith message, charitable efforts, and overall spirit. Her greatest joy is being a wife and mother, and she continues to touch and inspire lives globally as a professional surfer, author and motivational speaker. She currently has her own blog and online course on helping others become unstoppable.
“Waterwoman of the Year!”
Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) 2017
5 facts to know
Full Name:
Bethany Meilani Hamilton
February 8, 1990 on a double rainbow day
Family:
Adam Dirks (married 2013) Tobias (born 2015), Wesley (born 2018)
Fav Animals:
Manatees, Shar pei dogs, Pigs
Daily Treat:
In the midst of a global pandemic, Bethany gave away over 2,500 memberships to the Unstoppable Life online course. Unstoppable the film releases in Australia and New Zealand, and Europe. She announces her third pregnancy!
Bethany’s film Unstoppable releases theatrically and digitally in the USA. Bethany launches the Unstoppable Year online course.
Bethany gives birth to her second son, Wesley. She releases two new books, premieres her new film, Unstoppable, and wins Best Women’s Video Performance at the 2018 Surfer Poll.
Inducted into the Surfer’s Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach, Calif. and honored as SIMA’s Water-Woman of the Year.
Takes a third place finish at the Fiji Women’s Pro. Tow surfs Pe’ahi “Jaws” on Maui and is nominated for Women’s Best Performance in the WSL Big Wave Awards. Withdraws her ESPY nomination for Best Female Athlete with a Disability.
Bethany gives birth to her first son, Tobias. She speaks at churches and events around the U.S.
Bethany places first at Surf N Sea Pipeline Pro, speaks at the National Prayer Breakfast, and is awarded the Nickelodeon Kids Choice “Favorite Comeback Athlete” Award. She and Adam compete on CBS’s “The Amazing Race,” season 25.
10-year anniversary of the shark attack. Bethany is engaged and married to Adam Dirks.
The movie about Bethany’s story, Soul Surfer, hits theaters on April 8, 2011, starring AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, and Dennis Quaid. Bethany travels around the U.S., France, UK, and Ireland to promote the release. It’s nominated for several awards!
Bethany enters her first year of full-time surfing on the Women’s Pro circuit—traveling around the world for competition and training. She places third at the Roxy Pro in Australia. Meetings begin with the Hollywood movie producers for Soul Surfer, the movie. Her non-profit, Friends of Bethany, launches.
Bethany’s courageous return to surfing led to her receiving the MTV Teen Choice Award for Courage and ESPN’s “Best Comeback Athlete” ESPY award, among many others. Bethany’s autobiography, Soul Surfer, is published and becomes a best-seller. A year later, she wins the National Surf Championships!
A rising surf competitor, Bethany places second at the NSSA National Championships in July. On October 31, she is bitten by a shark and her left arm is traumatically amputated to her shoulder. Only 26 days after losing her arm, Bethany returns to surfing with only one arm, receiving international media recognition.
Bethany Hamilton
Who Is Bethany Hamilton?
Born in Hawaii in 1990, 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 2005. A successful author and public speaker, Hamilton has shared her experiences in documentary films and appeared on several popular reality TV programs.
Early Years and Surfing
Bethany Meilani Hamilton was born on February 8, 1990, in Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii, to parents Tom and Cheri. 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. team, the home-schooled Hamilton proved capable of beating more experienced surfers in competition. In May 2003, she won both her age group and the open division of Hawaii’s Local Motion/Ezekiel Surf Into Summer event. Shortly afterward, she finished second in the open women’s division of the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) National Championships at San Clemente, California.
Shark Attack
On the morning of October 31, 2003, 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.
«I was holding onto my board, with my thumb, because I probably didn’t want to get pulled under. 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.»
Blanchard’s father fashioned a quick tourniquet from his surfboard leash and led everyone to shore. Hamilton was rushed to Wilcox Memorial Hospital, bumping her father from the operating room where he was about to have knee surgery. Although she lost approximately 60 percent of her blood following the attack and underwent several surgeries, she was stabilized and released after a few days.
As the story drew national attention, it was determined that Hamilton had been attacked by a 14-foot tiger shark. Seemingly level-headed about the incident and the radical change to her body, she vowed to return to surfing as soon as possible.
Books
Hamilton resumed surfing just one month after the attack, her determination helping to keep the story alive in the news cycle. Her 2004 autobiography, Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board, became a best seller, and she was honored for her courage by MTV, ESPN and the United States Sports Academy.
Bethany Hamilton Biography
Rose to prominence for continuing her surfing career despite losing her left arm to a tiger shark.
More about the relationship
The 27-year-old American surfer, Bethany is a married woman. She tied the knot with her longtime boyfriend Adam Dirks. Furthermore, she exchanged her vows with Adam Dirks on August 18, 2013. Together, they also welcomed a son named Tobias, in June 2015. Currently, they are expecting their second child.
Since their marriage, the couple has maintained a perfect relationship with them. Moreover, she has never seen with any man in the public and media. Additionally, there is not even a single affair of her. Currently, she is enjoying her married life along with her husband and children and living elegantly.
Quick Facts of Bethany Hamilton
| Age: | 32 years 2 months |
|---|---|
| Birth Date: | February 08, 1990 |
| Horoscope (Sunshine): | Aquarius |
| Full Name: | Bethany Hamilton |
| Birth Place: | Lihue, Hawaii, United States |
| Net Worth: | $2 million |
| Salary: | N/A |
| Height / How tall : | 5 feet 11 inches (1.80m) |
| Nationality: | American |
| Weight: | 64 Kg |
| Hair Color: | Blonde |
| Eye Color: | Hazel |
| Lucky Number: | 1 |
| Lucky Stone: | Amethyst |
| Lucky Color: | Turquoise |
| Best Match for Marriage: | Aquarius, Gemini, Sagittarius |
| Last Update: | April, 2022 |
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Relationship Facts of Bethany Hamilton
- Bethany Hamilton is married to Adam Dirks.
- Bethany Hamilton married on August 18, 2013.
Who is Bethany Hamilton?
Bethany Hamilton is a professional surfer from America. She rose to prominence for continuing her surfing career despite losing her left arm to a tiger shark when she was just 13 years old.
In 2004, she also published a book Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board in which she shared her experience. Furthermore, Bethany has won the ESPY Award for Best Comeback Athlete followed by the Courage Teen Choice Award in 2004.
Bethany Hamilton: Early Life, Childhood, and Education
Bethany was born on February 8, 1990, in Kauai, Hawaii, United States of America. She is the daughter of Tom Hamilton and Cheri Hamilton. Furthermore, he has two older brothers, Noah and Timmy. Talking about her nationality, she is American and her ethnicity is unknown.
From the beginning of her childhood, she had a keen interest in surfing and also began to learn from the very early age. Concerning in her education, she was homeschooled from the early age and totally focused on surfing.
Bethany Hamilton: Career, Net Worth, and Awards
Bethany began her surfing career from her childhood winning the Surf Competition: Rell Sunn Menehune Surfing Championships on Oahu, Hawaii, in 1998. At the age of nine, she won she gained her first major surf sponsorships from Rip Curl and Tim Carroll Surfboards.
Later in 2003, when she was 13 years old a 14-foot tiger shark attacked her and she lost her left arm. It took three weeks for her recovery. Just after one month of the incident, Bethany returned to her board.In 2004, she also published a book Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board in which she shared her experience.
Additionally, she has also appeared in several shows such as Inside Edition, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Inside Edition, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and few more. Back in 2009, she was a contestant on Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? and also won $25,000.
Moreover, Bethany has also featured in a couple of hit shows such as ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, TLC series 19 Kids and Counting, and The Amazing Race. In addition, this American surfer has also starred in 2013 film Dolphin Tale 2.
Being a professional surfer, she earns a handsome amount of money from her profession. Currently, she has a net worth of $2 million.
As of now, Bethany has won the ESPY Award for Best Comeback Athlete followed by the Courage Teen Choice Award in 2004.
Bethany Hamilton: Rumors and Controversy
So far, there are not any drastic rumors regarding her personal and professional life. Furthermore, she has never faced any controversy in her career to date. It seems she has total focus on her work rather than stuck in any controversy.
Body Measurements
Bethany has a height of 5 ft 11 inches and weighs 64 kg. Moreover, she has a pair of gorgeous hazel eyes and blonde hair. Besides this, there is not any information regarding her other body measurements.
Social Media Profile
Bethany is pretty active on social media such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Currently, she has more than 1.6 million followers on Instagram and almost 2.3 million followers on Facebook. Additionally, she also holds a Twitter account in which she has more than 1.5 million followers.