REEL FACE: | REAL FACE: |
AnnaSophia Robb
Born: December 8, 1993 Birthplace: Denver, Colorado, USA | Bethany Hamilton
Born: February 8, 1990 Birthplace: Lihue, Kauai, Hawaii, USA |
Dennis Quaid
Born: April 9, 1954 Birthplace: Houston, Texas, USA | Thomas Hamilton
Born: September 13, 1948 Birthplace: Ocean City, New Jersey, USA |
Helen Hunt
Born: June 15, 1963 Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA | Cheri Hamilton
Born: February 14 |
Lorraine Nicholson
Born: April 16, 1990 Birthplace: Los Angeles, California, USA | Alana Blanchard
Born: March 5, 1990 Birthplace: Kauai, Hawaii, USA |
Carrie Underwood
Born: March 10, 1983 Birthplace: Checotah, Oklahoma, USA | Sarah Hill
Birthplace: San Diego, California, USA |
Kevin Sorbo
Born: September 24, 1958 Birthplace: Mound, Minnesota, USA | Holt Blanchard
|
Ross Thomas
Born: August 21, 1981 Birthplace: Stockton, California, USA | Noah Hamilton
Born: December 7, 1981 Birthplace: Kauai, Hawaii, USA |
Chris Brochu
Birthplace: Nashville, Tennessee, USA | Timothy Hamilton
Born: June 14, 1986 Birthplace: Kauai, Hawaii, USA |
Like in the movie, the Soul Surfer true story confirms that Bethany was 13-years-old on Friday, October 31, 2003, when the shark attack occurred at Tunnels Beach on the North Shore of Kauai.
Yes. In Bethany Hamilton's documentary titled Heart of a Soul Surfer, she said that after finishing sixth grade at the Hanalei School, she began homeschooling to free up time to surf. The only other option was to travel to Kapa'a High School about 40 minutes away. Bethany's older brothers Noah and Timmy both attended Kapa'a and graduated in 2000 (Facebook) and 2004 (My.HSJ.org) respectively.
Yes. According to Holt Blanchard, the two girls had been surfing at Tunnels the night before and were the last ones to come back into shore. -TheGardenIsland.com
Yes. According to Bethany Hamilton's Soul Surfer book, her father was at Wilcox Memorial Hospital in Lihue for surgery that morning. His legs had already been anesthetized and he was in the operating room waiting to begin. It was then that a nurse entered informing the orthopedic surgeon, Dr. David Rovinsky, that the room was needed for a 13-year-old girl shark attack victim. A short time later he was told that it was his daughter.
At the time of the attack, Tom was working as a waiter at the Princeville Hotel and Cheri was delivering tourism magazines as well as cleaning rental condos. -Soul Surfer Behind the Scenes Youthworker Guide
Yes. As confirmed during our research into the Soul Surfer true story, the family attends the North Shore Christian Church, which holds outdoor services in a tent. Youth counselor Sarah Hill (portrayed by Carrie Underwood) currently works for this church. -NSCChurch.com
Robb wore a green sleeve and prosthetic in virtually every scene. By having her hide her arm as best she could in each shot, as well as recording the surrounding area, they were able to digitally remove her arm in post production. -HonoluluPulse.com
She believes it was a blessing in disguise. "I definitely would allow the shark attack to happen. The thing for me is like I know that God allowed it to happen and because of all the good stuff that has come from this terrible experience. I'm still surfing, loving life and being able to reach people a lot more than I would have probably with two arms."
No. As revealed by the Bethany Hamilton true story, the family opted to stay at a rental beach house in Anahola for a while, rather than dealing with the reporters who were waiting at their home. -Heart of a Soul Surfer Documentary
No, however, the real Bethany Hamilton has become a pro at cutting fruit with the aid of her feet! She holds the fruit steady between her feet while sitting on the floor and then cuts them. -Bethany Hamilton Facebook
A few weeks after the shark attack, surfer Bethany Hamilton got back in the water to surf. The date was November 26, 2003, the day before Thanksgiving. She stood up on her third wave and road it all the way into shore. -Heart of a Soul Surfer Documentary
No, but she did lose 60% of her blood.
Yes, they believe so. About two weeks after the Bethany Hamilton shark attack and numerous reports of a shark coming in, Bill Hamilton and Ralph Young, two Hanalei fishermen, baited and caught a 13-foot 6-inch tiger shark that weighed in at over 1500 pounds. Only the bait shark was found in the tiger shark's stomach, but the 17-inch bite mark left on her surfboard was a match. -TheGardenIsland.com
No. The real Bethany Hamilton confirms the opposite; she stayed positive and let her faith in Jesus Christ guide the way. -Bethany Hamilton Facebook
She went to Phuket, Thailand August 27-31 of 2005 for World Vision and the Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Yes, but according to Bethany it was exaggerated a bit in the film. During her time in Thailand, she shared her story, raised awareness of disabilities and worked with orphans, encouraging them not to be afraid of the water. Ultimately, this led to many children and locals taking to the water and surfing. -The Daily Loaf
According to the official Bethany Hamilton website, she doesn't really measure (and sometimes changes it up a bit) but these are good estimates of the ingredients in the smoothie she drinks to start her day.
1-2 Packets of Sambazon Acai Pure Unsweetened Smoothie Packs
1-2 Frozen Bananas
1 Cup Almond Milk
2 Tbsp Bee Pollen or Ground Flax Seed
1 Cup Apple Juice
Handful of Frozen Blueberries
Handful of Frozen Tropical Fruits like Mango, Pineapple and Papaya
The infamous red, white and blue surfboard is displayed in the History of Women's Surfing section of the California Surf Museum in Oceanside, CA.
At the time of the movie's release in 2011, Bethany said, "I don't have a boyfriend… Life's pretty hectic right now, and I'm not really in a rush. I'm really just excited to save my purity for marriage, and I'm not really hunting down any one person but just enjoying life." (ABC News Nightline Interview). Since the original posting of this article, Bethany got married in 2013 and currently has two children.
Yes. Aside from doing all of the one-armed stunt surfing, she also made a cameo in the film, as did the rest of her family members (The Daily Loaf). Youth counselor Sarah Hill also made an appearance alongside family friend and shark attack victim Mike Coots. -TitleTrakk.com
The real Sarah Hill, portrayed by Carrie Underwood in the movie, is still inspiring people around her work as a youth counselor on Kauai, and she is also a makeup artist.
Bethany's oldest brother, Noah Hamilton, married his longtime girlfriend Becky Baumgartner on May 31, 2009. He works as a photographer around the islands (http://www.noahhamiltonphoto.com). They also help manage Bethany's career.
Her brother Timmy Hamilton works in videography on movies and television shows filmed in Hawaii. -SoulSurferWave.com
Watch Bethany Hamilton interviews and other video exploring the true story behind Soul Surfer. Highlights include interviews with Bethany shortly after the shark attack, Bethany hanging out with the real Alana Blanchard, video from the set of the Soul Surfer movie, and her opinion of her onscreen counterpart, actress AnnaSophia Robb.
WATCH 2003 Bethany Hamilton Shark Attack Interview (Part 1)Surfer Bethany Hamilton is profiled not
long after the shark attack that took her
arm on Halloween morning 2003. Her mother
Cheri Hamilton, father Thomas Hamilton,
and friend and witness Holt Blanchard are
also interviewed. |
WATCH 2003 Bethany Hamilton Shark Attack Interview (Part 2)Part 2 of the 2003 Bethany Hamilton
interview includes comments from her
parents, the real Dr. David Rovinsky who
treated Bethany, and a look at her
recovery process and attitude after the
attack. See video of her in the hospital
and images of the suspected shark after it
was captured. |
WATCH Bethany Hamilton Oprah Winfrey InterviewBethany Hamilton is interviewed by Oprah
Winfrey not long after the shark attack.
She describes the attack and returning to
surfing a mere four weeks later. She says
that she had "no pain at all" when her arm
was bitten off. |
WATCH Bethany Hamilton and the Real Alana BlanchardBethany Hamilton hangs out with the real
Alana Blanchard, portrayed by Jack
Nicholson's daughter Lorraine Nicholson in
the movie. Alana, a pro surfer as well,
talks about her friendship with Bethany. |
WATCH Bethany Hamilton's Opinion of the MovieBethany Hamilton and friend Alana
Blanchard share their thoughts on the Soul
Surfer movie, including what it was like
hanging out with their onscreen
counterparts AnnaSophia Robb and Lorraine
Nicholson. |
WATCH Bethany Hamilton Childhood Clips and PhotosThe real Bethany Hamilton shares her
story, showing us that her love for
surfing began when she was very young.
Watch Bethany Hamilton home movie clips
and see a pic of her former dog Ginger,
portrayed by her current real-life dog
Hanalei (Hana) in the movie. |
WATCH Bethany Hamilton on the Soul Surfer SetSurfer Bethany Hamilton talks about her
extensive involvement on the Soul Surfer
movie set and what it's like having the
real story of her life condensed into an
hour and a half. |
WATCH Heart of a Soul Surfer Trailer (Documentary)Watch the Heart of a Soul Surfer movie
trailer for the documentary that tells the
true story of the real Bethany Hamilton
who lost her arm during a shark attack in
2003. Purchase the documentary in the
column on the right. |
WATCH Soul Surfer TrailerSoul Surfer Movie Trailer for the movie
based on the real story of Bethany
Hamilton, a surfer who lost her arm to a
shark in 2003. |