The third wave
Retold by C.S. · ·
About Bethany Hamilton · Kaua‘i · 1 min read
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On Thursday afternoon, 27 November 2003, Thanksgiving, Bethany Hamilton went into the water at Rock Quarry, at the east end of Kīlauea Point National Wildlife Refuge, on Kaua‘i. She was 13. It was her first return.
Family and a few close friends were there. No press. Her father, Tom Hamilton, called it a stealth operation. Some people were in the water. Roy Hofstetter was on the shore. Andy Smith was watching. She was on a longboard. The surf was small.
On 31 October her left arm had been severed just below the shoulder. Nobody saw the bite.
She missed the first two waves. She caught the third.
"She caught the third wave and really ripped it, just like normal."
She stayed out about one to two hours. She surfed the next day, Friday 28 November.