Bethany Meilani Hamilton (born February 8, 1990) is an American surfer. She is known for surviving a shark attack in which she lost her left arm, and for overcoming the serious and debilitating injury to return to surfing. On October 31, 2003, Hamilton went for a morning surf along Tunnels Beach, Kauai. Around 7:10 a.m., she was lying sideways on her surfboard with her left arm dangling in the water, when a tiger shark attacked her, ripping her left arm off just below the shoulder. Just eight weeks after the incident, she returned to her board and went surfing again. In July of 2004 Hamilton won the ESPY Award for Best Comeback Athlete of the Year. She was presented with a special courage award at the 2004 Teen Choice Awards. Hamilton still aspires to become a professional surfer