Soul surfer : a teenage survival story

They say Bethany Hamilton has saltwater in her veins.

How else could one explain the tremendous passion that drives her to surf?

How else could one explain that nothing - not even the loss of her arm in a horrific shark attack - could come between her and the waves?

That Halloween morning in Kauai, Hawaii Bethany responded to the shark's stealth with a calmness beyond belief.

Pushing pain and panic aside, she immediately thought: 'Get to the beach...' Rushed to the hospital, where her father, Ted Hamilton, was about to undergo knee surgery, Bethany found herself taking his spot in the operating theatre.

When the first thing Bethany wanted to know after surgery was 'When can I surf again?' it became clear that her unfaltering spirit and determination were part of a greater story - a tale of courage and faith that this modest and soft-spoken girl would come to share with the world.