Posted on 11/02/2003 7:14:38 PM PST by joesnuffy
Competitive teen surfer loses arm to shark
Homeschooled girl, 13, stable after attack at Hawaii beach
Posted: November 2, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
A 13-year-old homeschooled surfing star whose left arm was bitten off by a shark while surfing Friday morning in Hawaii is hospitalized in stable condition, and her best friend's father is credited with saving her life by using a surf leash as a tourniquet.
Behtany Hamilton
Bethany Hamilton, who has competed in national surfing contests and was destined for professional stardom, was lying on her surfboard in clear water when she was attacked on Kauai's North Shore. She was surfing with friend Alana Blanchard, also 13, and Alana's father, Holt Blanchard, according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.
At about 7:30 a.m. a large shark, perhaps 10 to 15 feet in length, bit off Bethany's left arm, just below the shoulder.
"Nobody saw the shark," Bethany's 21-year-old brother, Noah told the paper. "It was a small day at Tunnels, with clear water, and she paddled over to her friends after the attack, with just one arm."
''She just yelled, 'A shark bit me!''' said her father, Tom Hamilton.
The shark took a chunk out of Bethany's surfboard that measured about 16 inches across and 8 inches deep, penetrating nearly to the center of the board.
Bethany's sufboard after attack (photo : Honalulu Star Bulletin)
Fellow surfers quickly put Bethany on another board and began paddling her the several hundred yards to shore. Holt Blanchard then applied the tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
Family members said Bethany was alert and conscious and helped by her top physical condition as an avid surfer.
Bethany is the top-ranked female surfer in her age group on Kauai. She consistently beats older girls and women in amateur competitions and is homeschooled so she can compete as often as possible.
In June, she placed second in the open women's division of the National Scholastic Surfing Association (NSSA) National Championships at San Clemente, Calif. She also was named an NSSA surfer/scholar for her 3.8 grade-point average.
Bethany Hamilton in action
"We're doing good, just praying, keeping up our spirits and hoping for the best. We're trying not to be angry, vengeful, just have faith that God will take care of us," said her father, Noah Hamilton.
''Losing her arm will change a lot for her, but she never cried once'', her brother Noah told the paper. ''The doctor was amazed at how well she is holding up. She told one of her friends that she's glad this happened to her, 'because now I can tell the whole world about God.'"
She told one of her friends that she's glad this happened to her, 'because now I can tell the whole world about God.'"
Nicely stated. I am beyond impressed, right on into 'in awe' of her reported stoicism.
We just got back from Hawaii- I spend a lot of time in the ocean, my wife doesn't (partly thanks to the helicopter pilot who told us, over tropical drinks, about how many sharks he sees close to shore when he is flying around the Islands. He said that it is common to look down on a concentration of surfers or windsurfers and see several sharks in amongst them.
Fortunately, most sharks are not especially aggressive, and I spent a lot of time in the water with sharks, barracuda, sea snakes, and other interesting matrine life, from the South China Sea to Panama. Luck has been with me so far.
I think it would be hard to balance with just one arm when making top level surfing moves. She may be able to surf for fun, but I doubt she'll remain a champ. I suspect she'll handle that loss with equal grace.
= Homeschoolers are dumb and do not know there are sharks in the ocean. The left never, ever misses an opportunity to spin it their way.
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