Born Feb 8, 1990
- At Wilcox Memorial Hospital in Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii
- To Tom and Cheri Hamilton, and older brothers Noah and Timmy.
Ages 2-5 (1992-1995)
- Learned to surf with Mom & Dad
- Accepted Jesus into my heart, beginning my faith journey
Age 8 (1998)
- First real Surf Competition: Rell Sunn Menehune Surfing Championships on Oahu, Hawaii.
Age 9 (1999)
- First major surf sponsorships: Rip Curl and Tim Carroll Surfboards.
Age 10-12 (2000-2002)
- Sponsored by Angel eyewear and Gallaz shoes
- Moving up the rankings in Amateur surfing competition. Placing high and winning many events.
Age 13 (2003)
- 2nd at the NSSA National Championships (July 2003)
- Attacked by shark, left arm traumatically amputated to shoulder (Oct 31, 2003)
- Returned to surfing with only one arm (Nov 26, 2003)
- Received International TV, magazine, and newspaper recognition:
– ABC News 20/20 (Nov 21, 2003)
– Inside Edition (Nov 21, 2003)
– Good Morning America (Nov 2003)
– Anderson Cooper 360º (Dec 8, 2003)
- Dad created a handle to go on my surfboards to help with duck-diving
Age 14 (2004)
- 35th Annual Gospel Music Awards – presented an award
- The MTV Teen Choice Awards – received special award for “Courage” (Aug 8, 2004)
- Received the ESPY “Best Comeback Athlete” award from ESPN
- Honoree recipient of the Al Neuharth Free Spirit Award
- Featured in top US TV shows and International magazines & newspapers
– The Early Show (Jan 2004)
– Good Morning America (Feb 2004)
– Oprah Whinfrey Show (Feb 2004)
– NBC News Today “The Today Show” (Oct 5, 2004)
- The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association (SIMA) awarded Bethany a special “Wahine O Ke Kai” Award, which in Hawaiian means “Woman of the Sea.” (March 2004)
- Best Selling autobiography SOUL SURFER released in 2004 by MTV Pocket Books and Simon & Schuster, Inc;
- Europe book tour, and Scholastic events
- Visited wounded US Soldiers in Germany.
Age 15 (2005)
- Visited Thailand with World Vision – brought orphans back to the ocean for the first time since Tsunami, and promoted tourism.
- Received the “Mildred Babe Dirdrikson-Zacharias Courage Award” from the United States Sports Academy
- Claire’s stores release “Bethany Hamilton / Soul Surfer” jewelry and accessories
- “Stoked” and “Wired to Live” Fragrance/cosmetic line released by Revelations Perfume & Cosmetics
- Spoke at Willow Creek Community Church
- WON the United States national under-18 surf championships! (2005 NSSA National Championships, Explorer Women’s division)
- Richard & Judy show – UK (April 14, 2005)
Age 16 (2006)
- 2 back-to-back trips to the Mentawais, Indonesia – one was a Rip Curl Girls Search surf trip, the other was with Walking on Water for the filming of their surf movie and Bethany’s documentary.
- Mexico Missions trip with church youth group
- Family surf trip to Samoa
- “Devotions for the Soul Surfer” book published by Thomas Nelson & W Publishing Group
Age 17 (2007)
- Father-Daughter surf trip to the Mentawais, Indonesia
- Released personal documentary “Heart of a Soul Surfer”, which toured film festivals around the world (February 2007)
- Bethany started doing a lot of ‘motivational appearances’ worldwide – Surf trip to Puerto Escondido
- 13th at US Open of Surfing in California
- Family surf trip to Mentawais, Indonesia
- Nias, Indonesia surf/mission trip to help with community assistance program through Holidays with a Purpose
- Rock the Universe at Universal Studios, FL – guest speaking appearance
- Surfer Poll & Video Awards – Bethany nominated for Best Female Performance; Bethany’s Documentary nominated for Best Documentary.
- Mexico Missions trip with church youth group
- 13th at Reef Hawaiian Pro on Oahu
- Appeared in the movie Down The Barrel – (2007)
- Soul Surfer™ book series published, by ZonderKids (April 2007), including: the “Soul Surfer Bible”, “Ask Bethany”, “Rise Above” (a 90-day Devotional), and the Soul Surfer Fiction Series: “Clash”, “Burned”, “Storm”, & “Crunch”.
Age 18 (2008)
- 3rd at the Roxy Pro in Australia – her best yet finish in a professional surfing competition!
- First year full-time surfing on the WQS (Women’s Qualifying Series) Pro surfing circuit – traveling around the world for competition and training – end of the year finished 14th in the world on the Pro Qualifying Series rankings!
- 5th place at US Open of Surfing in California!
- Bali, Indonesia surf trip with Rip Curl
- Guest Appearance at Saddleback Church in Southern CA.
- Tahiti surf trip (with brothers) for training
- Countries visited: Australia, Indonesia, Brazil, South Africa, Portugal, & Tahiti
- Meetings with Hollywood ‘Bethany movie’ production team begin
Age 19 (2009)
- 2nd place at the World Junior (under 20) Championships in Sydney, Australia!
- Re-featured in many top US networks/shows: Inside Edition, 20/20, ESPN, E! Entertainment
- Competed on “Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” – FOX’s hit game show, and won $25,000!
- Sumatra & Bali, Indonesia surf trip with brothers! (story featured on Surfline.com)
- 3rd place at the Rio Surf International (WQS) in Rio de Janiero, Brazil!
- featured on Surfer Mag’s IN THE LINEUP video!
- First CT event – got a Wild Card into the Gidget Pro at Sunset Beach, HI.
- Brookwell McNamara Entertainment and Sony’s Affirm Films announce a FEATURE MOVIE about her story.
- Finished 14th on ASP’s World Qualifying Series Ratings.
- Tow Surfed at the famous big wave Peahi “Jaws” on Maui, Hawaii, sparking the passion for more big-wave surfing in the future! (Dec 2009)
Age 20 (2010)
- Theatrical Movie, Soul Surfer, about Bethany’s story begins production in Hawaii (Feb 2, 2010)
- Special appearance on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (season 7, episode 24: Carr Family).
- 2 Tahiti Surf trips 
- Boat trip with Rip Curl girls to the Mentawai Islands in Indonesia – a Tip2Tip adventure
Age 21 (2011)
- Movie about Bethany’s story, Soul Surfer, hits theaters on April 8, 2011 starring AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, and more!
- Travel around the USA, France, UK, & Ireland to promote the release of the movie.
- Surf trip with Rip Curl in Indonesia, sustained arm injury with nerve damage
- Movie nominated for several awards: Teen Choice Movie Drama, Teen Choice Movie Actress Drama (AnnaSophia Robb), ESPY Best Sports Movie, Satellite Award for Best Music Score (Marco Beltrami), Artios Award in Casting Independent Features (Joey Paul Jensen).
- Appearance on ESPN Sport Center’s My Wish
- Appearance on TLC’s “19 Kids and Counting” with the Duggar family.
- Nominated for VH1′s Do Something Awards
- Soul Surfer releases on DVD & Blu-Ray (Aug 2, 2011)
- Became an Auntie! (Aug 13, 2011)
- Surf trip to Mexico
- Surf & Charity Trip to Maldives with +H20
- Movie wins ICM (Inspirational Country Music) Faith, Family & Country Award!
