Shark Attack!

Published on Friday, 12 September 2008 09:19 | posted by Geraldine |

Humans are not a natural prey of sharks. You are more likely to be struck by lightning or killed in a car accident on the way to the beach than by a shark attack.

More people are killed by dogs every year than have been killed by sharks in the last century. Of the sixty shark attacks a year worldwide, only three people each year are attacked in Hawaiian waters. Teen surfer, Bethany Hamilton, was one of them.

writes Geraldine Royds

In 2003, the then 13-year-old Hamilton was surfing with friends at a local beach. The water was calm and clear. While paddling out to the waves, Hamilton suddenly felt an intense pressure and a few fast tugs on her arm. A 14-foot tiger shark had ripped off her left arm just below the shoulder.

With the help of her friends, Hamilton made her way to the beach, where she was rushed to the local hospital. She had lost 60% of her blood. If the bite had been 2 inches further in, the attack would have been fatal.

Despite the trauma of the encounter, Bethany Hamilton was determined to fulfill her dream of becoming a professional surfer. Three weeks after the attack, she was back in the water.

Inspiration!

Shark Attack!