Shark bite surf princess still making waves
A bitter wind drove Atlantic rollers onto Europe's longest uninterrupted beach break, but nothing deters these elite women surfers, least of all the remarkable Bethany Hamilton.
The 20-year-old Hawaiian lost her arm to a tiger shark in 2003 but she has battled her way back to the top of her sport and competed this weekend in the Swatch Pro Girl competition on Boudaines beach in southwest France.
Despite the psychological and physical trauma of the near fatal shark attack, in which she lost more than 60 percent of her blood, the teenage Hamilton refused to relinquish her dream of becoming a pro surfer.
"She was a junior surfer at the top of her class at the time and she couldn't imagine not surfing," said Becky Hamilton, her sister-in-law and manager.
Less than a month after the attack, Hamilton was back on a surfboard, riding a wave in to shore, but she still had major difficulties to overcome.
"A prosthetic arm won't work because there isn't enough of a residual limb, and a prosthetic that she can't move would not help her surf," said her manager.
