ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bethany Hamilton catches a wave during a surfing competition at the Turtle Bay Hilton Hawaiian Resort. Hamilton was attacked by a shark in October while surfing near Tunnels Beach on Kauai.
Bethany is back in
saddle at surf meetThe Kauai surfer who was
bitten by a shark is competing
With her surfboard tucked under her right arm and securely leashed to her ankle, Bethany Hamilton paused for a moment before stepping into the churning Pacific Ocean.
It might have been a reluctance to enter the ocean just months after a tiger shark three times her height bit off her left arm.
But she was actually eager to get back in the water.
"I pray before I go out," the 14-year-old blond Kauai girl later said.
Hamilton competed over the weekend in the National Scholastic Surfing Association Hawaii Regional Championships on Oahu's North Shore. It was her third competition since the Oct. 31 attack off the North Shore of Kauai.
She struggled to catch a wave in rainy, windy conditions and choppy 3-foot seas Saturday. She failed to advance in her heat in the Women's Explorers division but still managed a smile as she came out of the ocean.
Bethany said she can't push herself up and paddle out as well as she used to. But balancing herself when she's standing is not a problem.
"Once I'm up, I'm OK," she said.
Despite her physical disadvantage, she still loves surfing, which she tries to do every day when she's not catching up with homework or traveling.
"I love everything about it, except for when I'm not getting good waves," she said.
Tom Hamilton said his daughter's relationship with God is what has helped her overcome the tragedy. She is also quickly learning that she is an inspiration to many others outside the surfing community.
"She knows now because so many people tell her she is, like total strangers," he said. "After a while the attention wears on her, but there's just no way of getting away from it."
Her presence was inspiring for other surfers and spectators at the weekend competition near the Turtle Bay Resort.
"I don't think I'd go back," said surfer Torrie Meister, 15, of Sunset Beach. "She has such a strong heart and faith in the Lord. I think she can do anything.
"I was always impressed with her surfing, but now she's my hero."
His father, Mike Meister, said he understands her desire to surf again and said she has a lot of drive and heart.
"Surfing can grip your life like a lot of things don't do in life," he said. "Once you become a surfer, you're always a surfer at heart."
Bobbi Lee, director of the NSSA Hawaii region, said Bethany was offered extra time to paddle out or between heats, but she declined, insisting on being treated like every other competitor.
"I think every surfer's biggest fear is a shark, and what happened to her is what they fear," Lee said.
"But she's also proof to them that life goes on, and you can still do the sport and you can still smile."
Bethany is still among the top-ranked surfers in the NSSA Hawaii rankings -- No. 5 in the explorer division and No. 6 in open category. Last year, she placed second in the open division at nationals.
Tom Hamilton said he's impressed by his daughter's competitiveness, attitude and athleticism.
"People used to call her the Michelle Wie of surfing," he said. "That was before she got bit by a shark."
Hamilton acknowledges Bethany is at a disadvantage every time she enters a surfing event, "but she really doesn't have to go to these things if she didn't want to," he said.
A movie and book about Bethany "are in the works," but nothing has been confirmed, he said.
Bethany said she thought she could become a star someday, "maybe as a surfer, but not this way."
