The character arc of Bethany Hamilton
Born 08 February 1990 in Lihue, Kauai, into a surfing family. On 31 October 2003, aged thirteen, a tiger shark took her left arm while she surfed a home break. Twenty six days later she was back in the water, and within weeks she was competing again. The line below draws the story so far, in order.
Tap the line to pluck it. Hover or tap any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of her life; the sources are at the foot of the page.
Who is Bethany Hamilton?
She lost an arm, and kept the whole ocean.
She grew up on Kauai in a family that surfed, and she was good early. On the morning of 31 October 2003, surfing a spot she knew well, a tiger shark took her left arm just below the shoulder. She lost a great deal of blood on the way in, and it was, by every measure, the kind of thing that ends a surfing life before it starts.
It did the opposite. Twenty six days later she paddled out again and taught herself to surf with one arm, learning to make up in balance and timing what she no longer had in reach. Within about ten weeks of the attack she was back in competition. She wrote the memoir Soul Surfer, which became a bestseller and, in 2011, a feature film, and in 2007 she turned professional.
The part worth reading is not the attack. It is what the line does after it. In 2016, a wildcard at one of the heaviest reef breaks on the planet, she beat the world number one and finished near the top. She married, became a mother, and kept surfing and speaking. Her line is drawn now, not at the end, because it is still being drawn.
The moments
Bethany Hamilton's timeline.
The 1990s
Born on Kauai
Milestone. Born in Lihue, Kauai, into a family that surfed. She learned young.
The 2000s
Lost her arm
Setback, and it changed everything. A tiger shark took her left arm as she surfed a home break at thirteen. She lost most of her blood before reaching shore.
Step away, or paddle back out
Crossroads, decided.
The paths laid out: return to the water, taken, or leave surfing behind. She was back on the board twenty six days after the attack, competing again within weeks, and a national title followed within two years.
Back in the water
Milestone, and it changed her direction. Twenty six days after the attack she paddled out again and began teaching herself to surf with one arm.
Returned to competition
Milestone, and it changed her direction. About ten weeks after the attack she entered a competition again, placing in her division.
Best Comeback ESPY
Milestone. Named Best Comeback Athlete, one of several honours that year for her return.
Wrote Soul Surfer
Milestone, and it changed her direction. Her memoir told the story in her own words and became a bestseller.
Won a national title
Milestone, and it changed her direction. She took a national amateur title, two years on from the attack.
Turned professional
Milestone, and it changed her direction. She joined the professional ranks and began competing on tour.
The 2010s
Soul Surfer reached the screen
Milestone. The film adaptation of her memoir carried her story to a wide audience.
Married Adam Dirks
Milestone. She married Adam Dirks. They would go on to raise a family.
Beat the world number one
Milestone, and it changed her direction. A wildcard at Cloudbreak, one of the heaviest reef breaks anywhere, she beat the world number one and finished near the top.
Unstoppable reached the screen
Milestone. A documentary followed her surfing and family life years on from the attack.
The line reaches today still adding to itself, which is why it is drawn now rather than at the end. What it set moving is already out there: every person who was told a door had closed and paddled back out anyway.
Your turn
Every story draws a unique line.
Hers turned on a single morning and kept climbing for two decades. Yours is already further along than you think, and drawing it takes about three minutes.
Sources
- Bethany Hamilton with Sheryl Berk and Rick Bundschuh, Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board, 2004.
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Bethany Hamilton.
- Wikipedia, Bethany Hamilton.
- World Surf League event records, Fiji Womens Pro 2016.
- Soul Surfer (feature film), 2011; Bethany Hamilton: Unstoppable (documentary), 2018.