Shark Attack

Bethany Hamilton is an American professional surfer. On the morning of October 31st, 2003, Bethany Hamilton and some friends decided to go surfing. The sky was clear, the sun was shining, and it was a perfect day for enjoying the big waves near the island of Kauai, Hawaii.

The 13-year old surfing star was lying on her surfboard about 300 metres from the shore with her left arm in the clear blue water. Her friends were floating nearby, looking out to sea. They were all waiting for the next big wave.

Suddenly a five-meter tiger shark appeared just below the surface and attacked her. It bit her left arm. Bethany held on to her board and the shark swam away. It also took a piece of her board. Luckily for Bethany, the shark attacked only once. It all happened so fast that she couldn’t even notice.

The only thing that she was thinking was to get back to the beach. She was in a shock, but she forced herself to paddle. Her friends didn’t know about the shark attack. They thought she was joking. Then they quickly came to help. It took fifteen minutes to reach the shore. They called the emergency services and Bethany eventually got to the hospital. The incredible thing about Bethany is that only ten weeks later she was surfing again in a competition in Hawaii. Nothing could stop her from surfing.