I was born in Hawaii to two die-hard surfers.
How could I not have salt water in my veins?
They say home is where the heart is.
And for most people, that consists of four walls and a welcome mat.
But for me, it's the ocean.
With the warmth of the sun on my skin.
"Two brothers."
That's my answer when anyone asks me why I'm so competitive.
And, of course, there's my best friend Alana.
- Trick or treat! - Trick or treat!
We spent more time wet than we did dry.
My mom was convinced that we were mermaids.
From the moment I caught my first wave,
I knew that I wanted to be a pro surfer.
Nothing else seemed to matter.
Surfing is my passion, my way of life.
The stoke I get from riding a perfect wave is pure joy.
But like my dad always says, "Life is an adventure.
"And sometimes, you wipe out and end up in the impact zone."
Bethany!
Let's go, you're lagging!
I'm coming!
Hey, sorry, Noah, I lost track of time!
Glad you could join us.
- Move over, Timmy. - Sorry, this seat's saved.
Come on.
- How were the waves? - Really fun.
- Ready for the contest? - Yeah.
Practice your snap off the lip?
No, but she's perfect on the wipeouts.
Guys, we're in church.
She's going to do her mermaid thing and crush it like she always does.
Almost got it.
Darn it.
Come on.
Interesting technique, Noah. Is that how the professionals do it?
Hey, I know what I'm doing.
Okay.
- Where you going? - To watch the competition.
They gave me a five!
Not so bad for a girl.
What!
Read it and weep, honey.
I'm not the one who's going to be weeping.
- Five! - Hey! Hey! Hey!
- Don't harass the judges! - Hey! Hey! Hey!
We're coming to get you!
- Babe, is it your knee again? - Got you!
Noah, put me down!
Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the junior portion
of the Maui Jim Turtle Bay Resort Invitational.
We're expecting a great competition today.
We've got skateboarding on the half-pipe. We've got all the action in the water.
- Watch top amateur surf... - Hey, howzit?
- Hey. - Hey, Keoki.
If you get tired waiting for the waves out there,
you can always come and kick it with us. We don't have to wait for the action.
Well, when you get tired of the pipe, come surf some real waves.
Hey, Thursday night is a full moon.
If you guys aren't doing anything, we're all gonna go surfing.
Yeah, if we don't have anything better to do.
Okay. See you guys later.
- All right. Bye. - Bye.
In semi-final heat number one, we've got six competitors.
In orange is Olivia Jenner.
In black, Malina Birch.
In blue, Bethany Hamilton.
In yellow, Kaila Kahani.
In white, Lalani Bri.
And in pink, Alana Blanchard.
And it looks like the local groms have tracked down Hawaiian surfing legend,
Ben Aipa.
Yeah, Ben!
- Hey, you see that sick air Keoki just got? - I don't think so.
- What? - You're not going to distract me.
I'm catching that next wave.
I don't think they know how not to compete.
Holt, you didn't tell them, did you?
No, no. I didn't want to make them nervous.
I'm nervous enough for the both of them, as it is. You know, they both have to place.
Black, Malina Birch, you're in first.
Blue, Bethany Hamilton, you're in second
Iooking for a 4.2 to overtake that top spot.
Pink, Alana Blanchard, you're in third, requiring a 5.4 to overtake first place.
Just a reminder, ladies and gentlemen.
The winners of today's contest will qualify for the Hawaiian Island Regionals.
Alana Blanchard finds the cover to finish things off.
Solid wave for pink.
Yes!
Looks like we have a paddle-battle here.
Go, Bethany! Go!
It's blue and black scratching for a solid set wave.
Malina Birch taking the inside off of Bethany Hamilton.
Here she is, up and riding.
Malina Birch kicks things off with a very nice ride.
And a strong carve off the top.
She definitely knows what the judges are looking for.
That will be a solid wave for black.
Malina full on stole my wave, I had position.
It's okay, it's all right. Look, next time, I want you to really focus
on just diving into the water as far as you can.
- Rip that paddle back. Okay? - Okay.
All right, take a rest.
- You thirsty? - Yeah.
With five minutes remaining in this final,
pink, Alana Blanchard, you are in first.
Black, Malina Birch, you are in second.
And blue, Bethany Hamilton, you are currently in third.
You're not breathing, you know that, right?
Go! Go!
Yeah!
Big snap off the top.
She draws out her second bottom turn,
and hooks it one more time.
Bethany Hamilton is holding nothing back.
Potentially one of the highest scoring rides of the day.
As this final comes to a close here at Turtle Bay.
Yes! That's what I'm talking about.
You're doing a great job training her, Brother Tom.
- Thanks, Ben. - You got it, bro.
Looks like she has a real future.
As a pro.
She's been working so hard.
Well, with her heart, her will, she'll go far.
Third place of the Turtle Bay Juniors final goes to Alana Blanchard.
In second place, Malina Birch.
Good job, Malina.
Meaning, taking first place is Kauai's Bethany Hamilton.
- Bethany! - With today's big victory,
Bethany Hamilton has to be considered the favorite
as we head to the Hawaiian Island Regionals.
Way to go, Bethany.
Girls, there's some people down there you might want to meet.
- Who? - It's the guys from Rip Curl, it's no big deal.
They want to sponsor both of you.
- No way! - What!
Oh, my gosh!
I got it, how about this one?
- Nice, if you're 100. - Okay.
- What about this? - Are you kidding?
Thing looks like a eye patch.
I think it's hot.
One wipeout in that tiny thing,
and you're going to be showing a lot more than your sick rides.
So much for so little.
Well, good thing it's on Rip Curl.
Yes!
But make sure to keep your eye on it,
ifyou don't want it snaked out from underneath you.
Hey, girls.
You realize I'm gonna take you next time, right?
Let's just let the surfing do the talking.
Every day between now and regionals,
when I'm in the water training, I'll be thinking ofyou, Hamilton.
Creepy.
Thanks, but I think you should stick to your training.
Seems like you could use a little focus.
I guess we'll find out.
Good seeing you again.
You guys are usually the first ones in here, let's go.
Let's finish up Rad Night with a game.
Can anyone tell me what he or she thinks this is?
- Easy, it's a dodge ball. - No.
Or Mars?
A blob in a lava lamp?
Very creative, but no.
- It's a fly's eye. - Weird.
- How about this one? - A brain.
Aren't brains supposed to be pink?
A dead, rotting brain?
That is gross, and that is a walnut.
So, you see how hard it can be to make sense of things
when you're looking at them really close?
The same thing's true in life.
So, ifyou guys are dealing with anything,
that's just too hard to handle
or doesn't seem to make much sense,
get a new perspective.
I want to share with you guys something that has really made an impact on my life.
That's Jeremiah 29:11.
"For I know the plans that I have for you," says the Lord.
"Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.
"Plans to give you hope and a future."
That's all the time we have tonight, guys.
If you are going on the mission trip,
please don't forget to give me your permission slips.
Hey, what's up? What's this?
Well, it looks like I'm not going to be able to go to Mexico,
so I brought some things for the orphanage.
I made the bracelets.
Noah donated the shoes and the Spam's from Timmy.
Are you sure you can't come?
Yeah, I've got to stay and train now that I'm sponsored.
I was really looking forward to it.
You're going to miss out.
Well, have a good trip.
Sarah's really bumming me out.
Any particular reason?
Yeah.
So, I told her I'm not coming to Mexico.
I mean, she knows that I have two important competitions coming up, right?
I mean, she knows how much I've put into this, you know?
How much you and the whole family has put into this.
So what's her angle?
That going to Mexico to help kids
is really important.
And I know it is. I mean, I really, really wish I could go.
It's just,
I've got to stay and train for regionals.
Did you say you'd go?
Well, yeah, but that was before I got sponsored.
I mean, it's like she's counting on me now,
Iike I'm the only person in the entire world who can do this.
I mean, I'm not going.
I mean, I can't, right?
It's your call.
Great. Now I feel even worse.
That's good. A small step in a good direction.
The girls are all tucked in.
- How's it look tomorrow? - Pretty decent, actually.
- Well. - No, no, no, you can't.
What?
You have your surgery tomorrow. The doctor said no food after 10:00.
This is like juice.
- Give it to me. - No. No, no.
- Give it. - No.
- Give it. Give it. - No.
You need to relax, they'll never know the difference.
Maybe we shouldn't. I mean, we have to get up super early for dawn patrol.
- I mean, what happens if my mom comes in? - Bethany, it'll be worth it.
The moon's full. The waves are perfect.
I mean, come on, it's almost Halloween. Even Noah's done it.
- He has? - Yeah.
- I really wanted to go. - Okay, come on, let's go.
- Keoki. - I knew it was you!
No way!
Yeah, you surf like a skater.
Hey!
You're toast, Keoki.
- Okay, truce. Truce. - Okay, deal.
Bethy, it's almost midnight.
- What happens at midnight? - You'll see.
What?
Later skater.
How lucky are we?
Awesome!
Good morning.
- Morning. - Morning.
So, as soon as you girls get back from the water,
I've got an English assignment all ready for you.
But it's a holiday.
It's Halloween.
We were thinking that we could have a couple extra hours on the waves today?
'Cause you didn't get enough last night?
Just say the word and we can enroll you girls in Kapa'a,
where you can ride the bus for 45 minutes each way
and do eight hours of straight work during prime surf hours.
'Cause I'm all right with that.
Actually, I love home school.
Me, too. Adore, totally.
I'm really sorry, Mom. It's just...
I really, really wanted to go night surfing.
I mean, everyone talks about how awesome it is.
- I mean, even Noah's done it. - He has?
Good job.
- Why didn't you just ask? - Because she knew you'd say no.
How do you know I'd say no?
- Would you have let me go? - No. I don't know.
Hey, no, no, no, no.
I promise I'll ask next time, okay?
I'm going to hold you to that.
Dad, you should have them upgrade you to a bionic knee
so you can actually beat Mom in surfing.
It's going to take a lot more than a bionic knee.
You just wait.
You sure you don't want me to drive you?
Mom, I got it.
When you come through it, I will be waiting.
That's your dad, Alana. Have fun girls.
Bye.
Bye, Dad. Say hi to Dr. Rovinsky for me.
Have a good surgery, I'll be praying.
Rip it up. See you on the flip side.
This is a good one. This is a good song.
That looks good, doesn't it?
- All right, we're here. Let's hit it. - Let's get out. Let's do it.
Sweet. I've got a meeting at 10:00, so we don't have a lot of time today.
No problem. Just pick us up after your meeting.
Yeah. Like that's going to happen.
Let's just get in the water already.
Come on, it's a long paddle around the reef.
Try and keep up with us.
Well, the anesthetic should have started working by now.
- You feel anything? - A little bit.
All right, it will kick in shortly.
We'll have you back out there shredding waves with Bethany in no time.
Thanks, David.
Yeah!
Did you see that one?
- That was nice off the lip, buddy. - Thanks.
I wonder what bathing suit I should wear to the shoot.
The pink's cute, but the black really works with my tan.
I don't think you get to decide.
They'll probably just tell us what to wear.
I guess, but it's fun to think about.
Can you believe we get to come out here every day?
Yeah.
- Dad! - Alana!
Shark!
I need to get to the beach.
Oh, God!
Dad, where's the shark at?
We need to get to the reef! Just get to the reef.
Keep on the board, keep on the board.
Byron, you get to shore! Go! Go! Call 911!
It's going to be okay, Beth.
I'll start it for you!
Come on. Ready, pal? Let's go. Push, push, push.
Stay with us, sweetie, okay? Stay with us.
Please, Jesus. Please...
- Alana, you keep her on the board. - Okay.
- On the board. - Please get me to the beach.
Please.
You're going to be okay!
Come on!
All right, here we go.
Doctor Rovinsky, we need this room stat!
It's a teenage girl from the North Shore. Shark attack.
Who? Who is it?
I'll check it out, Tom. I'll check it out.
Stay with me, Bethany!
- Alana! Get over here! - I can't.
Morning, Mom.
When did you go night surfing?
Night surfing...
All right. All right, sweetheart.
- Ambulance is coming, all right? - I want my mom.
I know. We're gonna get your mom. We're gonna get your mom.
Wait, wait, wait. What?
Mom?
- Dad! I called 911! I called her mom. - Okay, okay, okay.
Grab the foot of the board. Okay?
Grab it, on the count of three. Ready? One, two, three!
Go, go, go, go, go!
Take her up to the truck! Let's get her up there right now!
Come on. Talk to me.
Watch your step right here! What your step right there!
Where's the ambulance, Dad? They're not here yet!
Don't worry about the ambulance! We'll meet it on the way!
Alana, get the board!
Get her up! All right. Get up, get up there!
- Bethany, can you hear me? Oh, my God. - She's losing a lot of blood, Dad!
All right, I see the ambulance. Here it comes!
- Who are you, sir? - Family friend.
Do you know if she hit her head or ever lost consciousness?
No, she never passed out, but she's lost a lot of blood.
Here we go! Careful! Easy.
- Okay, lock her in. - Please don't die.
Come on, come on, come on, sweetie.
Please don't take her! Please don't take her.
Please don't take her.
Tom, it's Bethany.
- No, no! No! - Get me out of here!
- No. Come on. You can't move!
- Just let me get out of here! - You can't walk!
- Get me out of here! - No!
Talk to me. Gotta stay with me. Keep looking at my eyes, okay?
Where's my family?
They're on their way. They're gonna meet us at the hospital.
- She's going into hypovolemic shock. - We're almost there.
Breathe deep.
Mom, the car!
Stay with me.
Cheri, it happened so fast...
- Traumatic amputation. Severe loss of blood. - I'm here, baby, I'm right here.
- Blood pressure 70 over 40 and dropping. - I'm right here.
Up, up! Get her in here. Move!
Come on! Follow it back.
- Let's go! Stay with us! - Hang in there. Bethany, you'll be okay!
What's happening?
- Get her in a bed. - Move her into bay three!
Come on, Bethany. Stay with us, stay with us.
- What's happening? - Bethany!
Mom?
Hi, sweetheart. I'm right here.
Hey.
We're all here.
It hurts.
Okay.
- Noah, get the doctor. - Yeah, I got it.
I'm a little thirsty.
- Okay. - Got it.
Dad, please don't cry.
I'm not crying.
I'm going to be okay.
I know.
Hey there, kiddo.
How you holding up?
Pretty good, thanks to you.
I guess I ruined your surf shirt, huh?
Well, I never liked that one anyway.
Why don't you just concentrate on getting better, okay?
Thank you.
You were amazing out there.
You were the one who kept me calm.
You never...
You never let go.
You are incredibly brave, Bethany.
Where's Alana?
She's... She's at home. With her mother.
She's...
She's still a little freaked out.
But, you know, she'll be better knowing that you're going to be okay.
So...
Hey.
How's my favorite patient?
You say that to everyone.
I mean it when I see you.
I'll wait outside. I'll see you later.
So, I understand you're feeling some discomfort.
- Yeah. - Well, that's normal.
There's going to be a lot of pain because of the trauma that you endured.
Not to mention the fact that you've lost over 60 % of your blood.
You're going to be feeling kind of lousy for the next few days, kid.
Now here's the thing, Bethany.
The things that you're going to have to learn to do differently is extensive.
But the good news.
Those things you're not gonna be able to do
is small.
I'm so proud of you.
I'll tell you something.
She is a living miracle.
Thanks, David.
- Hey, sleepy head. - Hi.
How you feeling?
I've been better.
When can I surf again?
Are you busy right now?
Kind of.
Soon.
How do you know?
Because you can do all things...
- Through him who gives me strength. - ...through him who gives me strength.
Noah, eat your food.
It's gross. I'm not hungry.
Eat it. Mine's fine.
I said, I'm not hungry.
Well, if you didn't want it, why'd you let me pay for it then?
Fine. I'll pay you back.
I think you two should calm down.
I am calm.
- We're not doing this. - Doing what?
Life's got to go on
- the way it's always gone on. - What you talking about?
Life is not going to go on the way it has always gone on.
- Will you stop arguing? - No, he's arguing with me.
- Everyone's yelling at everyone. - Stop it. Stop it!
Hey, sweetheart. It's a dream, okay? Just a dream, that's all.
Just a dream.
It wasn't a dream!
It was real.
You should go see her. You know that?
You need to go see her.
...was resting on her surfboard in the ocean off Hawaii,
when, suddenly, a shark bites off her arm.
The girl doesn't even scream, and her composure may have saved her life.
You're pretty much on every channel.
Hey!
- Where have you been? - You know, at home, living it up.
How have you been?
I thought you were going to die out there.
So, are you still going to do that Rip Curl photo shoot?
They wanted me to.
But I told them I couldn't do it without you.
But that's crazy.
You've been nuts for that shoot. You have to do it.
- Really? - Yeah. Of course.
Do it for both of us.
You're not going to believe how great the house smells.
Plants are everywhere.
More flowers have been delivered than there are growing on the entire island.
Dr. Rovinsky said that I can get back in the water as soon as my stitches come out.
Can we try a shower first?
- That's so cool. Who did that? - Everybody.
The bite on Bethany Hamilton's surfboard was 16 inches long and 8 inches wide.
...currently searching for a shark believed to be responsible
for the attack on Bethany Hamilton.
It's okay.
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Hey! Get out of here!
Where's Dad?
Bethany!
I said leave!
Noah! Noah!
- Just get back in the house. - Dad...
Unlock the back door.
- Bethany, is this... - Come on, get out of my way!
Excuse me! Pardon me! Excuse me! Excuse me.
- I've got it from here, honey. Scoot over. - What are you gonna do?
Nice driving, 007.
You know what? I never liked those bushes anyway, Dad.
Come on, Bethany, I got you.
- Give me your bag. - I didn't know you could drive like that.
Neither did l.
So what do we do now?
Remember when we brought Noah home from the hospital?
He was our first baby and we had no clue what to do.
It's the same thing.
We'll take it day by day.
- That's so messed up. - I wish they would go away.
Ginger! Hi, girl!
I know, I know, I know.
I know. It's still me.
Ginger!
Who's up for sandwiches?
Sounds so good, I'm starving.
- Noah? - Yeah, sure.
Okay, where's my Spam?
- Mexico. - All of it?
I got it. I got it, sweetie.
- Sorry, Mom. - It's okay.
- Here, let me grab that. - You want to get some bread, love?
Yeah.
- I need to go unpack. - Are you sure?
I have some good news to share.
What news?
Holt got a call from that show, Inside Edition,
and they want to give Bethany a prosthetic arm.
Wait, wait, wait. She's been home for five minutes.
- They're gonna pay for the entire thing. - When did you talk to a TV show?
And it's custom made.
Will it look normal?
- I would think so. - Awesome.
Can they make one I can surf with?
What does she have to do?
All she has to do is give a brief interview, wearing the arm.
Check out my sister the celebrity.
- You don't have to do this. - No. I want to.
Yeah, yeah, I'll do it.
So, it's settled.
Hey, wait. Let's give thanks.
That arm could not come soon enough.
Because trying to make do with only one,
even harder than it sounds.
I mean, fixing your hair is not exactly rocket science.
Unless you've only got one arm.
Then it might as well be a mission to Mars.
Every day of my life, for as far back as I could remember,
I was in the water.
And now, I couldn't even put my bathing suit on.
Almost everything seemed to be a challenge.
But what scared me most, was that I might not be able to surf again.
It's so sad.
Mommy, what happened to that girl's arm?
I'm sorry.
Should I go?
Or do you want to do this together? It's up to you.
Stay.
Okay.
It's looking great.
It's healing nicely. You all right?
There you go.
It's going to look better once the stitches are out.
Is she okay?
You okay?
Hey! I just got back from Mexico.
I'm so glad you're okay.
I was just about to come see you.
I couldn't wait.
Come here.
I was thinking about you, and praying for you every minute.
How are you?
I'm good. Yeah. Everyone's been doing really good.
You don't have to do that, Bethany.
Not with me.
They're trying to help. I know.
I know.
But...
But what?
You know how you said it's hard to see things clearly sometimes
when you're too close?
Well, I've been trying to get some perspective.
I've been really trying.
Sarah, how can this be God's plan for me?
I don't understand.
I don't know why terrible things happen to us sometimes.
But I have to believe that something good is going to come out of this.
- Okay. - I don't know what that is.
I really wish I did.
Come here.
Hello?
Dad.
Excuse us.
That's a perfect fit, bro.
Come on, Dad.
Hey, Alana, can you take a little half step forward?
Put your hand a little higher on the board.
That is gorgeous. Perfect.
Beautiful.
You're natural born for this. Gorgeous.
Absolutely gorgeous.
Actually, Alana, go take a break, come back, grab a new bikini, that'd be perfect.
- So? How did I look? - Great.
Not too cheesy, right?
Somewhere between cheddar and jalapeno jack.
Thank you.
- That guy's ripping it up out there, yeah? - Yeah.
Hey, Alana, we're ready for you over here!
You know, you should be doing this with me.
- No. - You should.
Go on, they're waiting for you. Don't worry about me.
She's right, you should listen to her.
Yeah, and you should stop listening to other people's conversations, you kook.
Just got your back.
- Loser. - Poser.
You should be out there with her, though.
Yeah, I should be with her.
Just not there.
What's taking so long?
So what's for breakfast?
Wouldn't you like to know?
- Yeah, we would. We're hungry! - Yes!
- Okay. - What's the occasion?
Does there have to be an occasion for me to make my family
fresh squeezed orange juice and homemade banana bread?
You do realize that tomorrow is Thanksgiving, not today, right?
Yeah. That's why it's the perfect time.
Perfect time for what?
To get back in the water.
Aren't you afraid?
I'm more afraid of not surfing.
All right, get out there and have some fun!
Come on.
Come on, let's go already!
Are you ready?
If she is, I am.
- Grab my ankle, I'll tow you out. - No, I'm good.
There you go!
Just take it nice and easy, Bethany.
Hey, don't worry about it. It was a junk wave anyway.
Yeah, I'll get the next one.
Why don't you just paddle today?
No.
- We can come back tomorrow. - No, I'm good.
Try putting your hand in the center of the board,
along the stringer so you don't tip over.
Be patient, honey.
Yes!
- Look at that! - Yeah!
Yeah!
That's the way to go, honey!
Got it all on camera.
- Training starts tomorrow. - Training for what?
The Hawaiian lsland Regionals.
Excuse me!
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
- Happy Thanksgiving! - Thanks so much for coming.
And if you don't mind, I'd like to offer up a little toast.
Sweetheart.
We are so blessed and thankful to God for all ofyou
because ofyour love
and your support over the past few weeks.
And we are especially thankful to be spending yet another Thanksgiving
with our sweet, beloved daughter.
Here's to Bethany!
To Bethany!
- That was embarrassing. - I thought it was wonderful.
- Hey! - Hey!
- I heard you're back in the water. - I know, and there's something else.
Oh, yeah?
I'm surfing the Hawaiian lsland Regionals.
- Are you kidding me? - No!
Oh, my gosh, that's so amazing!
- Bethany, I am so proud of you! - Thanks.
Well, you really outdid yourself again this year, Cheri.
- I helped. - He tasted everything.
Yeah, one of my many talents. Like clearing the table.
- Let me help you. - Thank you.
I realize this would be a very different day without you.
You know, I just wish I could have done more.
Our family is a family because ofyou.
We have made this to your exact specifications.
Doesn't it look real?
Yeah. That's kind of weird how real it looks.
And you can even paint the fingernails.
Shall we try it on?
Now, you just take that strap, and I'll take this one.
Hold tight.
There, how does that feel?
It's okay.
Let me just see how it works on my board.
Not weight bearing.
How am I supposed to use it to push up on my board?
I think you might have to do that with the other arm.
So, is there a way I can grab the rails to duck dive?
Honey, why don't you just give it a chance?
How am I supposed to paddle and surf in this thing?
I mean, look at it!
Yeah.
Because the remainder ofyour arm is so short,
mobility will be limited.
- But there's so much more you can do... - Can I take it off, please?
- Every single thing... - Take it off.
She said she wants you to take it off. You can turn that off.
Hey! No! Hey! Don't! Hey! Drop it!
- Ginger! - Drop it! Ginger, stop!
- Drop it! - No. Release!
Honey, you can still surf without it.
- Let it go! - Ginger!
- Bad dog! - Ginger!
Bad dog!
I like her better that way.
Dad was right.
I don't need it to surf.
No, you don't.
Would it be better to just say it out loud?
I thought...
I thought at least with clothes on, I could have two arms.
Thought I could look normal.
Normal is so overrated.
But people like normal, Mom.
- Who? - Guys do.
I mean, who will even like me with this?
The right guy will love you exactly the way you are.
Because you're beautiful.
How do you know?
Because I know.
What's that worth, right? Nothing.
What are you doing?
We had this statue in my house, when I was a little girl.
It was a replica from a museum my parents once went to.
I didn't even think about it until just now.
Venus de Milo.
For centuries, all around the world,
she was considered the pinnacle of beauty.
And she has one less arm than you.
Yeah, but I can surf.
So, regionals.
What we have to do is to get you from here
to here.
It's not going to be easy.
I don't need easy, I just need possible.
With you, anything's possible.
Let's do it.
- Right there. - On the take off.
- Right there. Now, look. A little back step. - Yeah.
- That could be a sign... - 'Cause that time I wiped out.
Just a hair late when you take off.
So, I'll just adjust my body so that my weight is even more...
- Or bring your arm all the way around. - Yes.
- Look at her. - That's it. That's it, right there!
- That is perfect. - Okay.
- That's what you want to go for every time. - Yup.
How'd you feel out there this morning?
Pretty good. I mean, I have a little trouble getting under the big waves,
but once I'm up, I'm solid.
I'll come in if I can't handle it, okay?
- Good morning. I'm Piper Borraow. - And I'm Rob Bucannan.
And we'd like to welcome you to the Hawaiian Island Regionals.
- How do you feel? - Like barfing.
Yeah, well, aim for Malina.
If you don't want to do this, you don't have to.
I'm not going to pull out now.
Besides everyone knows I've entered.
It's now or never.
Soledad O'Brian is in Phuket, Thailand.
She has been following efforts by some survivors
to find their missing loved ones.
Hey, Bethany. Good luck out there today, yeah.
Thanks.
Man, that's really awful.
Clearly, wherever you look along the path of this tsunami
there is just stories of loss, and thousands already...
I hope you guys get a lot of donations.
Yeah, Sarah's organizing a trip to help the kids in Thailand.
My heat's coming up, I gotta go. Bye.
Great to have you back, Bethany.
Thanks, it's good to be back.
So you're actually going through with this?
Yeah.
- Hey, Bethany. - Hey.
Judges have approved giving you a five minute head start.
- I don't want it. - Bethany.
I don't need it.
Okay.
Come on, Bethany.
First heat has started
and the girls are making their way out into the lineup.
All right, we've got Bethany Hamilton in the blue jersey
trying to catch her first wave.
See ya!
Bethany unable to get into that wave.
Meanwhile, Malina Birch scratches into one.
Looks like a good one.
All right, Malina Birch dropped in on that inside roll, nice bottom turn.
Off the bottom, coming up.
Comes around the corner,
gets a nice vertical off the top there
as she kicks out to the challengers.
Hamilton drops into a nice looking wave.
A little loss of control there.
But nice recovery. She cuts back into the white water.
Should be a decent scoring ride for the surfer in blue.
All right, Alana Blanchard, drops into a wave of her own,
nice off the bottom, big snap off the top.
Sets up again for a nice cut back into the white water.
Speeding down the line
Iooking for a little tube section, gets in there.
Threads that little barrel and exits.
Nice wave for Alana Blanchard.
All right, Rockwell, it looks like at the ten minute mark
we have Malina Birch in first with a 7. 3 on her first ride.
Alana Blanchard is second with a 6. 2.
And in third place, Leila Hurst with a 5. 3.
The surf is picking up.
Whoa, look at that outside, a big set approaching.
It looks like Bethany Hamilton is going to get caught
inside of the biggest wave of the day.
Come on, Bethany. Come on!
Mountains of water rolling through here at Sunset Beach
and it looks like our competitor in blue, Bethany Hamilton,
just taking some donuts out there.
No! I'm fine!
I knew she wouldn't come in.
Bethany, grab my leash, I'll pull you the rest of the way out.
No, I'm fine. I can do this!
Come on, Bethany!
All right, four minutes left,
and Bethany Hamilton still stuck in the impact zone, Rob.
Bethany, in sixth place, right now.
She's still needing quite a score.
She's okay.
Malina, don't! You have enough, let her have it!
Alana Blanchard just dropped in on Malina Birch.
That's definitely going to be an interference call on Blanchard.
Alana Blanchard will not make it on this heat,
has been disqualified for the interference.
I can't take it anymore, I want you to get her out of there.
- I want her out of there. - The lifeguards are on it.
Oh, man, it looks like she broke her board.
Well, unfortunately for Bethany Hamilton,
a broken board right now, puts her in a bad position,
with only 3 minutes remaining,
there's no chance she's making it out of this first heat.
You shouldn't have dropped in on Malina like that.
- She was trying... - She was just hassling me,
- like she always does. - She's a jerk!
At least she was treating me like I was real competition.
Bethany, what happened to you out there?
Bethany.
Can we please just get out of here?
Make a path! Get out of the way!
- Stay calm. - Bethany, how are you feeling?
That's enough, come on.
Bethany, I know that you got beat up pretty bad out there today, sweetheart.
But you can't let it get you down.
Enough, Dad, okay? I can't do this anymore!
- Yes, you can, honey. - Listen to her.
Bethany! Bethany! Bethany!
Hey, Bethany! Can I get your autograph?
I have something even better actually.
Here.
Cool!
Bethany, what are you doing?
Oh, my God! This is so cool!
- Awesome, thanks! - Enjoy them.
Bethany.
Dad, just stop. Okay?
It's over.
That's not what I'm saying.
You can't give up on her.
And you can't keep pushing at her.
What are you supposed to do, just let her quit?
If she wants to, yes.
That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.
Then you're not hearing what I'm saying.
What? What is it that I'm not hearing?
You can't always fix everything by sheer will.
Sometimes there is no...
...Hamilton has to be considered the favorite
as we head to the Hawaiian Island Regionals.
She's a surfer.
- She's a competitor. - She's more than that.
Cheri, if she walks away from this...
If she quits, she may never get back in the water again.
And she will never be the same.
She will never be the same.
And if she thinks the only life out there for her is surfing
and she can't make that happen
then she's going to be lost.
Really, really lost.
Go ahead, tell me how everything's going to be okay.
Yeah, that's me. Mister jump-right-in-and-fix-it.
If I could just keep my mouth shut for once.
I'm done, aren't l?
I can't even paddle out to the lineup past the big waves.
I don't understand.
What happened to "l can do all things"?
Why?
Why did this happen?
Why did I have to lose everything?
You didn't lose everything, Bethany.
Not even close.
That shark didn't kill you. You're still here.
You're still alive.
With a family that loves you.
What am I supposed to do now?
I don't know.
Then how am I supposed to know?
When the time is right, you'll know.
Until then, you pray
and you listen.
Listen for what?
For what comes next.
Okay, Lymar, I hope you remembered your toothbrush this time. Okay?
Did you remember your socks?
Because you are not borrowing mine again.
Could you pass these out?
Bethany?
Mind if I tag along?
I'm sure we can scrounge up something for you to do.
Hey.
All right, guys, let's go!
Rosemary!
Sarah! Hey, thank you for coming.
This is Bethany.
Bethany, yeah, I've heard a lot about you. I'm happy you're here.
Grab some bags and pass them out.
All right, everybody make a line.
Just grab it and pass it down. Come on.
- Keep it going! - Come on guys.
- Keep going. - Make a line.
Got it?
Good job.
She wants to thank you all for what you've been doing.
They're very grateful.
We're so happy we can help, we know they've been through so much.
She says it was just a normal day like any other.
But that they saw the water roll back
and they went to get the fish and the lobsters.
But then they saw the wave and it was too late.
And the water just kept coming, there weren't many survivors.
I lost my family.
Another family, they all died...
I'm so sad.
You okay?
Yeah.
It's all right, don't be sorry for compassion, Bethany.
It can move us to do amazing things.
And it can help you get a new perspective.
Why don't you take a minute,
then when you're feeling better, come back and join us.
'Cause there's a lot to do. Okay?
Good.
Here you go.
Hello.
Here you go.
How come no one's in the water? We brought all these boards.
Still petrified.
- ls it safe? - Yeah.
Something's missing, yeah?
They said he wandered up a few days after the tsunami.
- What's his name? - They don't know.
He hasn't said a word, he won't even smile.
Hey, do you want to go in the water?
Do you want to go out to the ocean and go swimming?
No?
- Hey, can I borrow your board? - Yeah.
Thank you.
Thanks.
They say the Lord works in mysterious ways.
I say that's an understatement.
Who would have thought that teaching a kid to surf
would teach me that surfing isn't the most important thing in the world?
And that something else is.
Love.
Bigger than any tidal wave.
More powerful than any fear.
Hey, I'm home!
Hey, there she is.
- How was your trip? - Great.
What's all this stuff?
Oh, you know, just a little fan mail.
Went ahead and sorted it out by country.
- Are you serious? - Yup.
And apparently, you are very popular in Madagascar.
No way.
"Dear Bethany. My name is Stephanie Bolt,
"I'm 11 years old and I go to Northcross lntermediate School in New Zealand."
People are so amazing.
There's an eighth grader from North Carolina, who lost his arm.
Logan, and he says he's gonna try out for his school soccer team because of me.
And he's rooting for me in my next competition.
I mean, I don't understand, I totally blew it at regionals.
Why would they want me to compete?
You tried.
And apparently, Dylan and Stephanie like that.
Hey, Dad. I need your help.
- Name it. - I think I want to compete.
You sure?
You don't have to.
I'll take it heat by heat.
Okay.
So we need to figure out something.
Some way so when I duck dive, I don't get pounded.
Yeah.
You mean something like this?
Yeah.
You sure she can use it in competition?
Sure. Judges don't score on how you get out to the waves.
They only care what you do when you catch one.
Go ahead, say it.
I'm a genius.
- You are... - Come on, say it.
Tom, you're a genius!
- Genius. - You're very smart.
Genius. Come on, you know it.
- You're cute. You're very cute. - Genius. Genius.
- Hey. - Hey.
- Remember me? - No.
That's really nice. Best friends since birth, nothing.
- No. Nothing. - Good. Good sign.
Hey, thanks for coming.
Thanks for calling.
- I'm sorry I snapped at you at regionals. - Me, too.
- I miss you. - Me, too.
- Friends? - Of course.
Hey, Bethany!
I saw you surfing out there this morning. You were amazing.
- Maybe for a girl with one arm. - By any standard.
As for one arm, that just levels the playing field.
All right, all right. What do you want?
I want you to dominate at nationals.
Hey, Keoki, thanks.
For what?
Just for always showing up for me, no matter what.
Well, it's because I care about you.
I mean, even if you did miss my last competition and all.
- I was in the hospital you psycho. - Excuses, excuses.
- Bethany, I'm sorry. I wasn't even... - Gotcha.
Sucker!
Welcome to the Rip Curl Junior Nationals Surfing Championship.
David Stanfield along with Bo Hodge. And, Bo, we have an exciting day today.
We've got an excellent day of surfing on hand.
We're going to see the best amateur surfers from around the country today.
We have a panel of four international judges watching this national championship.
High and low scores are thrown out, but what are the judges exactly looking for?
Well, Dave, we have 25-minute heats.
Each rider is allowed to catch a maximum of 10 waves per heat.
The best two waves will be tallied up for the final score.
What the judges are looking for;.
style, flow and power and control in radical maneuvers
in the most critical sections of the wave.
Well, we have surf in the six-to-eight-foot range, it looks like out there.
What's key about this six person heat
is in fact that paddling and positioning, right?
These girls are tough, especially Malina, you know that.
The surf is big out there today,
so if you try to match them wave for wave,
you're just doing to wear yourself out with all that paddling.
Yeah.
So don't take just any wave that comes along.
The greatest surfers, they all have this sixth sense.
They know when the best waves are coming.
They can feel it. It's a gift.
You have that gift, too.
I do?
Well, your mom's right, honey. You are a little mermaid.
You know that moment between the sets when it's quiet
and the waves haven't even formed yet,
it's just energy surging through the water.
Well, that's the time to be patient.
Listen to your instinct.
Trust it.
You'll know.
Go get 'em.
Malina! Malina!
Over the past few months, Malina Birch has dominated every heat she's surfed
winning three contests in a row.
No one has come close. She's by far the person to beat today.
Bethany! Bethany!
Don't worry, it's all part of being sponsored.
We love you, Bethany!
I'm going to go get the rash guards.
What are you doing here?
I'm surfing, same as you.
Well, I hope you don't need to be rescued again.
Actually, Malina, I wanted to thank you.
For what?
Just for never taking it easy on me. It means a lot.
You ready?
Okay.
Bethany Hamilton's appearance here is truly a remarkable comeback.
Against all odds, she has earned her spot into the National Championships.
Everyone in attendance is hopeful that Bethany has a great contest.
But at the highest level of competition, there are no free rides.
We begin with our first round of competition.
And there's the horn. The first heat is underway.
Yes!
Can you believe that?
Advancing into the finals by 2/10's of a point, the big story is Bethany Hamilton.
She was looking for a 7. 2 and scored a 7.4 on her last wave.
She'll be wearing blue out in the lineup
with her good friend, wearing pink, Alana Blanchard.
And their competitors, black, Malina Birch.
Yellow, Leila Hurst. White, Nage Melamed, and in orange Kelia Moniz.
And the judges are looking for some progressive surfing today.
That's right, Dave. They'll have a 25-minute heat,
be scored on 10 waves,
but they'll keep their best two waves for the final score
on the zero to ten point range.
And there's the horn and the heat is underway.
Yeah!
There's Nage Melamed. She scores two vertical turns,
and the judges give her a 6. 75, and what a great start to this heat.
Alana Blanchard picking up a set wave.
Works her way down the line.
Snaps a big turn off the top.
Runs around her competitor with an aggressive reentry.
And pink cracks the lip one more time.
Great run, Alana!
Situation with fifteen minutes remaining in the heat,
surfer in orange, Kelia Moniz, you have a 5.4.
Surfer in white, Nage Melamed, you have a 6. 75.
Surfer in pink, Alana Blanchard, you are in first place with a 7. 0.
Way to go, Alana!
Go!
Bo, Hamilton goes down hard in the impact zone, and she is struggling.
That's okay. You'll get another one!
Stay in there, stay in there, Bethany.
Take a look at this.
We've got four competitors scratching for this wave.
And surfer in black takes control of the peak.
Birch on the nice take off.
She sprays Bethany!
Great off the top!
Birch snaps under the lip.
Banks it off the white water one more time.
Man, she is on fire today.
One away. Malina Birch has scored a 9. 25 according to the judges,
and that is a high score.
Now she is in the lead, Blanchard in second.
Melamed in third, Leila Hurst in fourth,
Bethany Hamilton is in fifth, and in sixth right now is Moniz.
Hamilton with a stall and goes over the falls.
Is she going to be all right?
It's okay. Everybody gets caught every once in a while. She can handle it.
Precious time on the clock right now, Dave.
And it looks like Alana is paddling into a big wave on the outside.
And Alana Blanchard takes a spill there, too.
Ladies and gentlemen, Malina Birch is up and riding again.
This girl's a wave magnet today, Bo.
She certainly is in rhythm with the ocean.
Way above the pack here in today's competition.
Malina Birch has just scored a 9. 5 on her last wave.
That is the highest wave of the contest.
She's going to need two nine-plus waves to even come close to catching Malina.
She's got less than five minutes.
With time winding down and no waves on the horizon,
our surfers are anxious to get a final score.
Look for the girls to scramble for any solid wave before the hooter blows.
Check this out, ladies and gentlemen.
There's some energy out in back.
Looks like the girls have spotted something on the horizon.
Paddle, Bethany. Paddle hard.
Bo, take a look at this.
Birch and Hamilton paddle-battle out the back.
And Hamilton really needs to beat her to the inside.
- If she's got a chance here today. - Come on, Bethany, stay ahead of her!
Don't let up! You got her!
Unbelievable, Bo, all Malina's got to do is block Bethany Hamilton
from getting to the inside and she's got this contest in the bag.
Paddle hard!
Birch is still blocking Hamilton from the inside.
I don't know how she's going to catch this wave, Bo.
Paddle!
Dave, we've got a paddle-battle to the outside.
It's Birch. It's Hamilton.
She's got her on the ropes.
Can Bethany catch the wave? This is her last chance.
- Yes! - Yes!
She's got the wave, David!
This is the one she's been waiting for all contest long.
Absolutely unbelievable.
Bethany Hamilton duck dives under Malina Birch
while Birch is still out there looking for another ride.
Sick one, Bethany!
That was an unbelievable ride by Bethany Hamilton.
The judges give her a 9. 7.
It's the highest score of the heat!
- But she's still fifth! - All right, guys,
she needs one more, one more.
Bethany Hamilton is paddling outside the lineup.
What does she see?
I don't know, Dave, but no one's been paddling out
in that area all during the contest.
Why is she so far out?
What, is she giving up?
I don't know.
She feels something.
What are you doing?
Dave, there's only one minute remaining on the clock.
It is dead flat.
The contest may be already over.
Why is she stopping?
- There's nothing out there. - Not yet.
Only 45 seconds on the clock and no set waves on the horizon.
This contest may be over, Bo.
We are counting down to end this final.
Just 30 seconds left on the clock.
Big bomb on the outside.
Fifteen seconds remaining.
Everybody else is too far inside.
The Rip Curl Nationals, 10 seconds to go!
And there is Bethany Hamilton with an amazing wave out the back.
Will this be enough?
She is paddling and here comes the wave.
She's taken the drop!
An amazing barrel for Bethany Hamilton. Perfect positioning.
Was she up before the horn?
They have to count it.
Way to go, Bethany!
Yeah!
Unbelievable. Bethany Hamilton's amazing wave at the end does not count.
- She stood up after the horn. - What?
So she gets no score.
Malina Birch, your new National Champion.
No!
It's okay, Dad. It's okay.
But it didn't count.
It counted.
It totally counted.
Yes, it did.
I'm still checking that video. Noah!
Hey. You okay?
- Very. Are you? - Yeah.
Yeah, I think so.
What am I supposed to do now?
You're supposed to enjoy it. All of it.
For the rest of your life.
- In fifth place, Bethany Hamilton! - Good job.
Yeah! Bethany!
And in fourth place, Leila Hurst.
Third place, Nage Melamed.
- Second place, Alana Blanchard. - Way to go, baby!
And in first place, Malina Birch.
Hey.
Hey, Malina. Great job.
You're a tough opponent.
Bethany Hamilton, nobody is as tough as you.
Get up here. Come on. Come on.
I'd like to share this win with Bethany Hamilton.
Because the judges may not have counted that last wave,
but I did.
Bethany.
- Bethany! Bethany! - Whoa, whoa, whoa. Just back off, okay.
- It's okay. - Are you sure?
You don't have to talk to them.
Yeah, but what about Dylan or Logan or Stephanie?
What if they're watching?
Bethany, I'm from Transworld Surf magazine.
Are you upset you didn't win today?
I didn't come to win. I came to surf.
Bethany, I just wanted to ask you if you could go back to that day
and not have gone surfing, would you do it?
I wouldn't change what happened to me,
because then I wouldn't have this chance in front of all of you.
This chance to embrace more people than I ever could have with two arms.
I was born to surf.
This is why I wake up at the crack of dawn every day.
This is why I endure belly rashes, reef cuts, muscles so tired they feel like noodles.
And I've learned that life is a lot like surfing.
When you get caught in the impact zone, you need to get right back up
because you never know what's over the next wave.
And if you have faith, anything is possible.
Anything at all.
Yeah, it was so much fun just seeing him get better and better on every wave
and get up and ride all the way to the beach. It was awesome.
Throwing out the ceremonial first pitch of the 2004 season is Bethany Hamilton.
Strike.
Thank you, Bethany!
I think I got my courage from Jesus Christ.
He says, "Be strong."
You think you're going to surf again?
I think?
I know I'm going to surf again.