Gear Up.

When you go out surfing, you have to wear certain type of gear. Right? You can't just wear your clothes and then go out surfing. You have to be wearing the right equipment.

From researching Bethany, I wanted to find out what surfers wear. There's tons of equipment that surfers wear. From vests to suits. For the vests, theres one type. A neoprene vest. The neoprene vest is one option for when you're cold. These vests don't keep your arms warm, but keep warmth by your heart. There's a neoprene jacket too. The jacket is basically like wearing half of a wetsuit. It helps you  be protected from the wind when you're either dry or wet.

There's different types of spring suits. Spring suit, long arm spring suit, short john, long john and short arm full suit. First, the spring suit is a full body suit with short arms and legs. These type of suits keep you warm on chilly days. Some surfers don't prefer this type of suit. The long arm spring suit is just like it says, long armed. It's exactly like the spring suit. A short john suit has short arms and a sleeveless top. This type of suit is popular with long boarders. The long john is a short sleeved suit with long leg. Lastly, the short arm full suit, often called long leg spring suit has arms going to your elbows and the legs go fully down to your ankles.

A full suit covers your entire body. The full suit is the standard wetsuit. It has long legs and long arms. The hooded full suit is a suit you wear while surfing if its super cold outside. Surfers don't have this type of suit as their primary suit because if they did, they would be warm for most of the year. Now, the last suit is a dry suit. Surfers rarely use this type. This type of suit traps a thin layer of water  against your body, then the water heats up and then that keeps you warm.

Photo Credit Of: http://www.flickr.com/photos/torocosmico/4328561389/sizes/z/






All this information I got from: Here

Help For A Good Cause

According to my previous posts, Bethany has surfed for most of her life.
Rip Curl said:
July 25th 2012 Kuta, Bali – Hawaiian charger Bethany Hamilton has been awarded a wildcard spot in the 2012 Rip Curl Cup Padang Padang Invitational. Hamilton, 22, from Kauai, Hawaii, will be the first-ever woman surfer to compete in the Rip Curl Cup (July 15 – August 26). The fearless goofyfooter, known for her exploits in powerful waves, is relishing the historic opportunity to surf against the best barrel riders on the planet at Bali's most revered wave.

http://asia.ripcurl.com/index.php?aid=1384


This surfing event is the longest running surfing event in Indonesia. She has competed in tons of ASP Women's World Tour surfing events since 2007. The Rip Curl event will be her first time competing against males.

In another article by Rip Curl they announced:
August 6, 2012. Kuta, Bali – Professional surfer, star of Hollywood blockbuster Soul Surfer and shark-attack survivor, Bethany Hamilton led a surf lesson for unprivileged children from orphanages including Benih Harapan Orphanage in Bali on Friday. Kids ranging in age from 8 to 13 joined global icon and role model Hamilton for an afternoon of fun and surfing at Legian Beach in Kuta.

http://asia.ripcurl.com/?aid=1386

Hamilton helped the kids hit small waves. She informed them about ocean safety and environmental awareness. Her and Rip Curl also donated basic food supplies. Like, sacks of rice, noodles, milk and five surfboards to Soul Surf Project Bali for future lessons. The Soul Surf Project Bali gives kids in orphanages a better perspective, to think about a better future and to just forget about their problems.

After the lessons, she met with fans and signed autographs. Over 500 fans were there, just to see her.

Photo Credit Of:Here

Her Faith

Bethany's faith in God helped her through her tragedy. She tried to get on her surf board three times before she got all the way back to the beach. "'From what seems like such a horrible thing God has just brought glory to himself'" said Hamilton. She speaks about her faith and how it helped her recovery. Many people thought she would be done surfing after she recovered. When the paramedic was n the ambulance, he said to her "God will never leave you nor forsake you." (Jennifer Riley)

"But with a smile on her face, she recalls that she has a sense of peace and calmness... She was able to turn to Jesus during this crazy moment in her life." (Jennifer Riley)

Eight years after the tragedy she competes in the Association of Surfing Professionals. When Bethany has free time she teaches the children at a surf camp called Walking on Water and also helps fundraiser for local charities.




Photo Credit Of: Here

The Basics of Bethany

Photo credit to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/kanaka/2080576562/



On October 31, 2003, while surfing in Hawaii in Kawai's North Shore Bethany Hamilton was attacked by a shark, when she was only thirteen. The shark bit her arm off just below the armpit. She lost tons of blood. She thinks she survived the attack because of believing in God. She said "It was Jesus Christ who gave me peace when I was attacked by the shark. They had to get me to the beach, which took 20 minutes of paddling."


One month after the shark attack, she started surfing again.

This blog will be based on Bethany's struggles living life with just one arm. I'll further my research on her everyday life with her accomplishments in surfing.

Overall on this blog you will learn how Bethany attended school and fit in with her peers. I wanted to write this blog about her because she is really inspiring for all of the stuff shes been through and she's still going strong. And she went back to what she loves.

January 2004, she started to be in surfing competitions again. She placed fifth in the Open Women's division. After a year from getting attacked by the shark, she placed first in the Explorer Women's division of 2005. That was her first time winning a national title. 2007 she decided to go pro in surfing and participated in tons of Association of Surfing Professionals and World Tour Events. One of her big accomplishments is placing second in the 2009 World Junior Championships.

Bethany has also had a movie about her that came out April 8, 2011 in theatres and it was all about her life and struggles of having just one arm. She wrote a book about her survival 2004 autobiography Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board. She has guest appeared on The Biggest Loser, 20/20, Good Morning America, Inside Edition, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, The Today Show, and also The Tonight Show. She has articles about her in the People magazine and Time.