Bethany Meilani Hamilton Dirks is an American professional surfer who lost an arm in a vicious shark and surprised everyone by making a victorious comeback to professional surfing after overcoming this harrowing experience. As someone who loved surfing from early childhood, she always wanted to become a professional surfer. Since her parents were also surfers they began training her even before she turned five, and she participated in her first surf competition, the Rell Sun Menehune event on Oahu, when she was eight. Winning the competition boosted her confidence and strengthened her love for the sport. Over the next few years she effortlessly moved up the rankings in Amateur surfing competition and was blossoming into a formidable competitor on the surfing scenario. She was just 13 when a leisurely morning surf turned into a nightmare when a shark attacked her, biting off the full length of her left arm. The gutsy girl survived the attack in spite of losing lots of blood. She was deeply traumatized by the event, but decided that she would not let it thwart her professional ambitions. The determined girl returned to surfing within weeks of the incident and became a source of inspiration and hope to millions around the world.