Bethany Hamilton isn't bound by limits. She's been shattering them ever since losing her arm to a shark at the age of 13. Beyond her amazing feats, her enduring resolve and courage is what makes her a hero to heroes. Kelly Slater counts himself among the millions who've been inspired by her story. So naturally, to have Bethany swing by the Surf Ranch with her husband Adam and their son, Tobias, was a huge treat for Slater.
Bethany Hamilton got to clock a serious amount of tube time on her visit, and it was the perfect way to refine her technique. - WSL
And Bethany was pretty stoked, too.
"It's actually like a dream because I've wanted to work on my backside barrel riding, and today I got more backside barrels in one session than I have ever," Hamilton said afterward.
Tobias was hooked on the reforms. - WSL
Slater being Slater, he couldn't help but marvel at Bethany's tube technique. He describes here technique as "An athletic feat that not any other person on earth has. She doesn't have the ability to grab the rail. It just blew me away. I think it's incredible."
Bethany, Adam, and even Tobias got their fill of waves, and were thoroughly fired up by the experience. "It makes you just giggle and giddy!" Bethany said. "My mind has just been spinning with, like, how so many surfers are going to just see and be inspired to push their surfing by surfing this wave. And to know that a group of surfers put this together is pretty rad."
Of course she sampled the new left, too. - WSL