Bethany Hamilton has climbed to the top of the women’s professional surfing ranks, a task made doubly difficult by the fact she only has one arm and so has to battle significant obstacles in terms of balance, paddling and more.
Hamilton lost her left arm aged 13 in a horrific shark attack while surfing, and almost died as she lost 60% of her blood. Yet Hamilton’s refusal to allow this setback to prevent her from following her surfing dreams has inspired people the world over. Hamilton was back in the ocean only a month later and learnt to surf all over again. In fact, her story is so inspirational that Hollywood are currently making a movie about it. Hamilton credits her faith in God as being central to her ability to negotiate her way through the tragedy and return so successfully to the sport. In an “I am Second” video released this week, Hamilton remembers her journey from the actual shark attack and then back into the world of competitive swimming.
“From what seems like such a horrible thing, God has just brought glory to Himself,” said Hamilton, now 21, in the video. “I have been able to be just a good light to people and just share His love. I wake up every day and [try to] honor God in everything that I do and I may fall short sometimes, but all I want to do is love Him.”
The attack happened within a “split second” and Hamilton’s life was changed forever. The young surfer remembers a paramedic on the way to the hospital whispering in her ear, “God will never leave you nor forsake you.”
“I didn’t have time to think much,” she said. “Right away, I knew I had to get to the beach to survive this.
“I just laid there and prayed the whole way in, asking God for help.”
Hamilton testified that she always had a “sense of peace and calmness” despite missing her left arm and losing more than half her blood because she was “able to turn to Jesus during this crazy moment in my life.”
“I think that is the one thing that just kept me alive,” Hamilton insisted.
Fully eight years later, Hamilton is sponsored by Ripcurl and competes full-time in the ASP (Association of Surfing Professionals) World Qualifying Series.
“Being out there in the ocean, God’s creation, it’s like a gift He has given us to enjoy,” is her description of surfing.
[The I Am Second movement seeks to connect those seeking answers to life’s questions with real-life testimonies of people who have found meaning in Jesus Christ. People who share their stories through the videos talk candidly about various struggles, ranging from substance abuse to selfishness, and how they found a full life in Christ.
Celebrities that have previously shared their stories in an I Am Second videos include baseball star Josh Hamilton; Grammy Award winner Michael W. Smith; football star Bradie James; and former Korn guitarist Brian “Head” Welch].