Professional surfer, author, and shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton delivers a motivational speech Thursday night at a sold-out Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara.
Professional surfer, author, and shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton delivers a motivational speech Thursday night at a sold-out Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo

Professional surfer, author, and shark attack survivor Bethany Hamilton shared a message of faith and navigating life’s tough waves to a sold-out Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara on Thursday night. 

The event was a fundraiser for Network Medical Women’s Center, a health clinic in Goleta that provides services to women experiencing unplanned pregnancies. 

Hamilton survived a shark attack at 13 years old that took her left arm in 2003 while surfing along Tunnels Beach, Kauaʻi. She co-wrote an autobiography titled “Soul Surfer” about her experience, which was adapted into a film of the same name in 2011.

“This day though for me, it changed everything, and God has taught me so much through my adversity,” Hamilton said. “This has become one of my greatest teachers, is going through the chaos.”

She continued professionally surfing after the attack until 2022, when she boycotted World Surf League events because of the organization allowing transgender women to compete in the female category. 

During Thursday’s event Hamilton spoke about her Christian faith and the framework she used to adapt to life after losing her arm, which included being appreciative, being directed and protecting her goals.

Bethany Hamilton survived a shark attack at 13 years old that took her left arm in 2003 while surfing along Tunnels Beach in Kauaʻi.
Bethany Hamilton survived a shark attack at 13 years old that took her left arm in 2003 while surfing along Tunnels Beach in Kauaʻi. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo

“I woke up in the hospital as 13-year-old Bethany, and I was so grateful to be alive, and that appreciation really carried me forward,” Hamilton said. “Instead of dwelling on the loss and the pain and the chaos and something that I never believed would have happened to me, I dwelled on gratitude. I thanked God that I was still alive.”

Hamilton also spoke about the importance of persevering and relying on community through tough times.

A fundraiser for Women's Network Medical Center at the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara on Thursday night included surfer Bethany Hamilton as a speaker.
A fundraiser for Women’s Network Medical Center at the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara on Thursday night included surfer Bethany Hamilton as a speaker. Credit: Rebecca Caraway / Noozhawk photo

“I think the more that you and I overcome, the more we can have a ripple effect on our community around us,” Hamilton said. “My ripple effect through my life, that ultimately God orchestrated, was so beautiful and proud, and I could never have painted such a beautiful picture of just goodness coming from something so awful.”

The event opened with a prayer from Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara youth pastor Brandon Benjamin, and by the end of the night, the event raised $161,558 for Network Medical Women’s Center.

— Noozhawk staff writer Rebecca Caraway can be reached at rcaraway@noozhawk.com.