Soul Surfer (2011) - full transcript

[WOMAN SINGING

IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

[♪♪♪]

BETHANY:

I was born in Hawaii

to two die-hard surfers.

How could I not have

salt water in my veins?

They say home is

where the heart is.

And for most people,



that consists of four walls

and a welcome mat.

But for me, it's the ocean.

With the warmth of the sun

on my skin.

[EXCLAIMING]

"Two brothers."

That's my answer

when anyone asks me

why I'm so competitive.

[LAUGHING]

And, of course,

there's my best friend, Alana.

[GIGGLING]



[IN UNISON]

Trick or treat!

BETHANY & ALANA:

♪ Hele on to Kauai ♪

♪ Hanalei by the bay ♪

♪ Wailua River Valley ♪

♪ Is calling me back home ♪

BETHANY:

We spent more time wet

than we did dry.

My mom was convinced

that we were mermaids.

From the moment

I caught my first wave,

I knew that I wanted

to be a pro surfer.

Nothing else seemed to matter.

[♪♪♪]

Surfing is my passion,

my way of life.

The stoke I get from riding

a perfect wave is pure joy.

But like my dad always says,

"Life is an adventure.

And sometimes, you wipe out

and end up in the impact zone."

Bethany!

Bethany!

Let's go,

you're lagging!

I'm coming!

Hey, sorry, Noah,

I lost track of time!

CHOIR:

♪ Where your streams

Of abundance flow ♪

♪ Blessed be your name ♪

♪ Blessed be your name ♪

♪ When I'm found

In the desert place ♪

Glad you could join us.

Move over, Timmy.

Sorry, this seat's saved.

Come on.

Ow!

How were the waves?

Really fun.

Ready for the contest?

Yeah.

Practice your snap off the lip?

Shh.

No, but she's perfect

on the wipeouts.

Shh, guys,

we're in church.

She's gonna do

her mermaid thing

and crush it

like she always does.

♪ Blessed be the name

Of the Lord ♪

♪ Blessed be your name ♪

♪ Blessed be the name

Of the Lord ♪

♪ Blessed be

Your glorious name ♪

♪ You give and take away ♪

♪ You give and take away ♪

♪ My heart will choose

To say ♪

♪ Blessed be your name ♪

♪ Blessed be

Your glorious name ♪

♪ You give and take away ♪

♪ You give and take away ♪

[STRUMMING]

[WHIMPERS]

[GIGGLES]

NOAH:

Almost got it.

Darn it.

Come on.

Interesting technique,

Noah.

Is that how

the professionals do it?

Hey, I know what I'm doing.

Okay.

Where you going?

To watch the competition.

[♪♪♪]

♪ I wake up in the morning

At 6:00 ♪

♪ They say there may be rain

But the sun is hot ♪

♪ I wish I had some time

Just to kill today ♪

♪ And I wish I had a dime

For every bill I got to pay ♪

[EXCLAIMING JUBILANTLY]

Whoa!

Ooh, ha-ha-ha.

[ALL WHOOPING]

♪ That's why, here I am ♪

♪ Just waiting for this storm

To pass me by ♪

[ALL WHOOPING]

♪ And that's the sound

Of sunshine ♪

[CHEERING]

They gave me a five!

Not so bad for a girl.

♪ I saw my friend, Bobby

He said, "What's up, man? ♪

♪ You got a little work

Or a 20 to lend?" ♪

♪ I opened up my hand

He said, "I'm glad to see ♪

♪ They can take away my job

But not my friends, you see" ♪

[WHOOPING]

Oh!

♪ Here I am ♪

[CHEERING]

What!

[LAUGHS]

Read it and weep,

honey.

I'm not the one

who's gonna be weeping.

Five!

Hey! Hey! Hey!

Don't harass the judges!

Hey! Hey! Hey!

Hey!

We're coming

to get you!

[LAUGHING]

[GROANING]

Babe, is it

your knee again?

Got you!

[BARKING]

[ALL SQUEALING]

[SCREAMS]

Noah, put me down!

♪ Are you ready? ♪

♪ Put 'em in the sky

And let him fly ♪

♪ Put 'em in the sky

And let him fly high ♪

ANNOUNCER:

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen,

to the junior portion

of the Maui Jim Turtle Bay

Resort Invitational.

We're expecting

a great competition today.

We've got skateboarding

on the half-pipe.

We've got all the action

in the water.

Watch top amateur surf...

Hey, how's it?

Hey.

Hey, Keoki.

If you get tired waiting

for the waves,

you can always come

and kick it with us.

We don't have to wait

for the action.

When you

get tired of the pipe,

come surf

some real waves.

Ooh!

Hey, Thursday night

is a full moon.

If you guys

aren't doing anything,

we're all gonna

go surfing.

Yeah, if we don't have

anything better to do.

Okay.

See you guys later.

All right. Bye.

Bye.

♪ I know you're with me

But holding steady ♪

ANNOUNCER:

In semi-final heat number one,

we've got six competitors.

In orange is Olivia Jenner.

In black, Malina Birch.

In blue, Bethany Hamilton.

In yellow, Kaila Kahani.

In white, Lalani Bri.

And in pink, Alana Blanchard.

[CHEERING]

♪ Put 'em in the sky

And let him fly high ♪

♪ High, high ♪

♪ Wave 'em high, high ♪

ANNOUNCER:

It looks like the local groms

tracked down

Hawaiian surfing legend,

Ben Aipa.

Yeah, Ben!

♪ High, high, high

High, high ♪

Hey, you see that sick air

Keoki just got?

I don't think so.

ALANA:

What?

You're not gonna

distract me.

I'm catching

that next wave.

I don't think they know

how not to compete.

Holt, you didn't

tell them, did you?

No. I didn't wanna

make them nervous.

I'm nervous enough for

both of them, as it is.

You know, they both

have to place.

ANNOUNCER:

Black, Malina Birch,

you're in first.

Blue, Bethany Hamilton,

you're in second.

looking for a 4.2

to overtake that top spot.

Pink, Alana Blanchard,

you're in third,

requiring a 5.4 to

overtake first place.

Just a reminder,

ladies and gentlemen.

The winners of today's

contest will qualify

for the Hawaiian Island

Regionals.

Alana Blanchard finds the cover

to finish things off.

Solid wave for pink.

Yes!

ANNOUNCER:

Looks like we have

a paddle-battle here.

Go, Bethany! Go!

ANNOUNCER:

It's blue and black

scratching for

a solid set wave.

Malina Birch taking the inside

off of Bethany Hamilton.

Here she is,

up and riding.

Malina Birch kicks things off

with a very nice ride.

And a strong carve

off the top.

She definitely knows what

the judges are looking for.

That will be a solid

wave for black.

Malina full on stole my wave,

I had position.

It's okay,

it's all right.

Look, next time,

I want you

to really focus on

just diving into the water

as far as you can.

Rip that paddle back.

Okay?

Okay.

All right,

take a rest.

You thirsty?

Yeah.

ANNOUNCER:

With five minutes remaining

in this final,

pink, Alana Blanchard,

you are in first.

Black, Malina Birch,

you are in second.

And blue, Bethany Hamilton,

you are currently in third.

You're not breathing,

you know that, right?

Go! Go!

[♪♪♪]

Yeah!

ANNOUNCER:

Big snap off the top.

She draws out

her second bottom turn,

and hooks it one more time.

Bethany Hamilton

is holding nothing back.

Potentially one of the highest

scoring rides of the day.

As this final comes to a close

here at Turtle Bay.

[CROWD CHEERING]

Yes!

That's what

I'm talking about.

You're doing a great job

training her, Brother Tom.

Thanks, Ben.

You got it, bro.

Looks like she has

a real future.

As a pro.

She's been working

so hard.

Well, with her heart,

her will, she'll go far.

ANNOUNCER:

Third place of

the Turtle Bay Juniors final

goes to Alana Blanchard.

[CHEERING]

In second place,

Malina Birch.

Good job, Malina.

Meaning, taking first place

is Kauai's Bethany Hamilton.

BOY: Bethany!

ANNOUNCER:

With today's big victory,

Bethany Hamilton has to be

considered the favorite

as we head to the

Hawaiian Island Regionals.

[APPLAUSE]

[WHOOPS]

Way to go, Bethany.

Girls, there's

some people down there

you might want to meet.

BETHANY: Who?

It's the guys from Rip Curl,

it's no big deal.

They want to sponsor

both of you.

No way!

What!

BOY: Oh, my gosh!

[SQUEALING EXCITEDLY]

[GIGGLING]

I got it,

how about this one?

Nice,

if you're 100.

Okay.

What about this?

Are you kidding?

Thing looks like

a eye patch.

[MIMICS PIRATE SNARLING]

I think it's hot.

One wipeout

in that tiny thing,

and you're going to be showing

a lot more than your sick rides.

Ooh, so much

for so little.

Well, good thing

it's on Rip Curl.

Yes!

[BOTH GIGGLE]

ALANA:

But make sure to keep

your eye on it,

if you don't want it snaked out

from underneath you.

Hey, girls.

You realize I'm gonna

take you next time, right?

Let's just let the surfing

do the talking.

Every day between

now and regionals,

when I'm in the water

training,

I'll be thinking of you,

Hamilton.

Creepy.

Thanks, but I think you should

stick to your training.

Seems like you could use

a little focus.

I guess we'll find out.

Good seeing you again.

[LAUGHS]

[♪♪♪]

You guys are usually the first

ones in here, let's go.

SARAH:

Let's finish up Rad Night

with a game.

Can anyone tell me what

he or she thinks this is?

Easy, it's a dodge ball.

No.

Or Mars?

Mmm-mmm.

A blob in a lava lamp?

[ALL LAUGH]

Very creative,

but no.

It's a fly's eye.

BOY: Weird.

GIRL: Ew!

How about this one?

BYRON: A brain.

Aren't brains

supposed to be pink?

A dead,

rotting brain?

That is gross,

and that is a walnut.

So you see how hard it can be

to make sense of things

when you're looking

at them really close?

The same thing's true

in life.

So if you guys are

dealing with anything,

that's just

too hard to handle

or doesn't seem

to make much sense,

get a new perspective.

I want to share with you guys

something

that has really

made an impact on my life.

That's Jeremiah 29:11.

"For I know the plans that

I have for you," says the Lord.

"Plans to prosper you

and not to harm you.

Plans to give you

hope and a future."

That's all the time

we have tonight, guys.

If you are going

on the mission trip,

please don't forget to give me

your permission slips.

Hey, what's up?

What's this?

Well, it looks like I'm not

gonna be able to go to Mexico,

so I brought some things

for the orphanage.

I made the bracelets.

Noah donated the shoes,

and the Spam's from Timmy.

Are you sure

you can't come?

Yeah, I've got to stay and train

now that I'm sponsored.

I was really

looking forward to it.

You're gonna miss out.

Well, have a good trip.

Sarah's really

bumming me out.

Any particular reason?

Yeah.

So I told her

I'm not coming to Mexico.

I mean, she knows

that I have

two important competitions

coming up, right?

I mean, she knows how much

I've put into this, you know?

How much you and the whole

family has put into this.

So what's her angle?

That going to

Mexico to help kids

is really important.

And I know it is. I mean, I

really, really wish I could go.

It's just,

I've got to stay

and train for regionals.

Did you say

you'd go?

Well, yeah, but that was

before I got sponsored.

I mean, it's like

she's counting on me now,

like I'm the only person in the

entire world who can do this.

I mean,

I'm not going.

I mean,

I can't, right?

It's your call.

[SIGHS]

Great. Now I feel

even worse.

That's good. A small step in a

good direction.

The girls are

all tucked in.

How's it look tomorrow?

Pretty decent, actually.

Well.

No, no, no, you can't.

What?

You have your surgery

tomorrow.

The doctor said

no food after 10.

This is like juice.

Give it to me.

[CHUCKLING] No. No, no.

Give it.

No.

Give it. Give it.

No.

ALANA [CHUCKLES]:

You need to relax, they'll never

know the difference.

Maybe we shouldn't.

I mean,

we have to get up

super early for dawn patrol.

I mean, what happens

if my mom comes in?

Bethany,

it'll be worth it.

The moon's full.

The waves are perfect.

I mean, come on,

it's almost Halloween.

Even Noah's done it.

He has?

Yeah.

I really wanted

to go.

Shh! Okay,

come on, let's go.

[♪♪♪]

[YELPS, GIGGLES]

♪ Hey, hey, after midnight

We're out of control ♪

[ALL WHOOPING]

♪ ...outta control ♪

♪ 'Cause after midnight

We let out the dogs ♪

♪ We outta control

Outta control, outta control ♪

♪ The rock-and-roller

Awesome sort of freak show ♪

[EXCLAIMING]

[GIRLS GIGGLING]

♪ So when the clock

Strikes midnight ♪

♪ Everyone lose control ♪

ALANA:

Keoki.

I knew it was you!

KEOKI:

No way!

Yeah, you surf like

a skater.

Hey! Heh, heh!

[BOTH SCREAMING]

You're toast, Keoki.

Whoa!

Okay, truce.

Truce.

Okay, deal.

Bethy,

it's almost midnight.

What happens at

midnight?

You'll see.

What?

Later skater.

[WHOOPING]

[ALL CHEERING]

How lucky are we?

Ha, ha!

BETHANY:

Awesome!

[EXCLAIMING EXCITEDLY]

[WHIRRING]

Good morning.

Morning.

Morning.

So as soon as you girls

get back from the water,

I've got an English assignment

all ready for you.

But it's a holiday.

It's Halloween.

We were thinking

that we could have

a couple extra hours

on the waves today?

'Cause you didn't get

enough last night?

Just say the word,

and we can enroll

you girls in Kapa'a,

where you can ride the bus

for 45 minutes each way

and do eight hours of straight

work during prime surf hours.

'Cause I'm all right

with that.

Actually,

I love home school.

Me too.

Adore, totally.

I'm really sorry, Mom.

It's just...

I really, really wanted

to go night surfing.

I mean, everyone talks

about how awesome it is.

I mean, even Noah's done it.

He has?

Good job.

Why didn't you

just ask?

Because she knew

you'd say no.

How do you know

I'd say no?

Would you have

let me go?

No. I don't know.

Hey, no, no,

no, no.

I promise I'll ask

next time, okay?

I'm gonna hold you

to that.

Dad, you should have them

upgrade you to a bionic knee

so you can actually

beat Mom in surfing.

It's gonna take a lot more

than a bionic knee.

You just wait.

You sure you don't

want me to drive you?

Mom,

I got it.

When you come through it,

I will be waiting.

[HORN HONKING]

That's your dad, Alana.

Have fun, girls.

ALANA: Bye.

BETHANY: Bye, Dad.

Say hi to Dr. Rovinsky

for me.

Have a good surgery,

I'll be praying.

Rip it up.

See you on the flip side.

["GIMME SOME LOVIN'" PLAYING]

This is a good one.

This is a good song.

Oh, that looks good,

doesn't it?

All right, we're here.

Let's hit it.

Let's get out.

Let's do it.

♪ Twenty people knocking 'cause

They're wanting some more ♪

♪ Let me in, baby,

I don't know what you've got ♪

♪ But you'd better take it easy

'Cause this place is hot ♪

♪ So glad we made it

So glad we made it ♪

♪ You got to

Gimme some lovin' ♪

Sweet.

I've got a meeting at 10,

so we don't have

a lot of time today.

No problem. Just pick us up

after your meeting.

Yeah. Like that's

gonna happen.

Let's just get in

the water already.

[WHOOPING]

HOLT: Come on,

it's a long paddle

around the reef.

BETHANY:

Try and keep up with us.

Well, the anesthetic should

have started working by now.

You feel anything?

A little bit.

All right, it will

kick in shortly.

We'll have you back

out there

shredding waves

with Bethany in no time.

Thanks, David.

[♪♪♪]

♪ Feel something right

Feel something good ♪

♪ 'Cause if one thing works ♪

♪ You might know it's true ♪

♪ It's true ♪

♪ This is the life

This is the life ♪

♪ This is the life

This is the life ♪

♪ This is the life

Then who'd argue? ♪

Yeah!

♪ And this is the life ♪

♪ This is the life

This is the life ♪

♪ This is the life

This is the life ♪

♪ Then who'd argue? ♪

Whoa! Whoo!

Did you see that one?

That was nice

off the lip, buddy.

Thanks.

I wonder what bathing suit

I should wear to the shoot.

The pink's cute,

but the black really

works with my tan.

I don't think

you get to decide.

They'll probably just

tell us what to wear.

I guess, but it's fun

to think about.

Can you believe we get

to come out here every day?

Yeah.

[SCREAMING]

ALANA: Dad!

Alana!

ALANA:

Shark!

I need to get

to the beach.

Oh, God!

BYRON:

Dad, where's the shark at?

We need to get to the reef!

Just get to the reef.

[♪♪♪]

Keep on the board,

keep on the board.

Byron, you get to shore!

Go! Go! Call 911!

It's gonna

be okay, Beth.

I'll start it for you!

[GRUNTING]

Come on. Ready, pal?

Let's go. Push, push, push.

[GRUNTING]

HOLT:

Stay with us, sweetie, okay?

Stay with us.

Please, Jesus. Please...

HOLT:

Alana, you keep her on

the board. Okay. On the board.

Please get me to

the beach.

We're almost there.

Please.

[GRUNTS]

You're gonna be okay!

[BYRON PANTING]

[MAN SINGING

IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

Come on!

[DIALING]

All right, here we go.

Doctor Rovinsky,

we need this room, stat!

It's a teenage girl

from the North Shore.

Shark attack.

Who? Who is it?

I'll check it out, Tom.

I'll check it out.

[♪♪♪]

HOLT:

Stay with me, Bethany!

[RETCHING]

Alana! Get over here!

ALANA [CRYING]:

I can't.

Morning, Mom.

When did you go

night surfing?

[CELL PHONE RINGING]

Uh...

Night surfing...

All right.

All right, sweetheart.

Ambulance is coming,

all right?

I want my mom.

I know.

We're gonna get your mom.

We're gonna get your mom.

Wait, wait, wait. What?

NOAH:

Mom?

Dad! I called 911!

I called her mom.

Okay, okay, okay.

Grab the foot

of the board. Okay?

Grab it, on the count of three.

Ready? One, two, three!

Go, go, go!

Take her to the truck!

Get her there now!

Come on. Talk to me.

[GRUNTING]

[ALANA CRYING]

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

Watch your step right here!

What your step!

[DISTORTED VOICES]

Where's the ambulance?

They're not here!

Don't worry about the ambulance!

We'll meet it on the way!

BYRON:

Alana, get the board!

Get her up! All right.

Get up, get up there!

[MAN SINGING

IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

Bethany, can you hear me?

Oh, my God.

She's losing

a lot of blood, Dad!

[SIREN WAILING]

All right, I see the ambulance.

Here it comes!

[HONKING]

[TIRES SCREECH]

Who are you, sir?

Family friend.

Do you know if she hit her head

or lost consciousness?

She never passed out,

but lost a lot of blood.

Here we go!

Careful! Easy.

Okay, lock her in.

Please don't die.

Come on, come on,

come on, sweetie.

[SIREN WAILING]

[SHUDDERING]

Please don't take her!

Please don't take her.

Please don't take her.

Tom, it's Bethany.

No, no! No!

Get me out of here!

Get me out of here!

No. Come on. You can't move!

Just let me

get out of here!

You can't walk!

Get me out of here!

No!

[SIREN WAILING]

Talk to me. Gotta stay with me.

Keep looking at my eyes, okay?

Where's my family?

They're on their way.

They'll meet us at the hospital.

She's going into

hypovolemic shock.

[MONITOR BLEEPING]

We're almost there.

Breathe deep.

[MAN CONTINUES SINGING

IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

Mom, the car!

Stay with me.

Cheri,

it happened so fast...

PARAMEDIC:

Traumatic amputation.

Severe loss of blood.

CHERI:

I'm here, I'm right here.

Blood pressure 70 over 40

and dropping.

I'm right here.

DOCTOR:

Up, up! Get her in here. Move!

Come on! Follow it back.

Let's go! Stay with us!

NOAH:

Hang in there. Bethany,

you'll be okay!

CHERI:

What's happening?

[VOICES DISTORTING]

Grab a bed.

NURSE: Move her into bay three!

PARAMEDIC:

Come on, Bethany. Stay with us.

CHERI:

What's happening?

NURSE:

Bethany!

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

[♪♪♪]

[WOMAN SINGING

IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

[MONITOR BEEPING STEADILY]

Mom?

Hi, sweetheart.

I'm right here.

TOM:

Hey.

We're all here.

It hurts.

Okay.

Noah,

get the doctor.

Yeah, I got it.

I'm a little thirsty.

Okay.

Got it.

[INHALES DEEPLY]

Dad,

please don't cry.

[CRYING]

I'm not crying.

I'm gonna be okay.

I know.

[KNOCKING ON DOOR]

Hey there,

kiddo.

How you

holding up?

Pretty good,

thanks to you.

I guess I ruined

your surf shirt, huh?

Well, I never liked

that one anyway.

Why don't you just concentrate

on getting better, okay?

Thank you.

You were amazing out there.

You were the one

who kept me calm.

You never...

You never let go.

You are incredibly brave,

Bethany.

Where's Alana?

She's... She's at home.

With her mother.

She's...

She's still

a little freaked out.

But, you know,

she'll be better,

knowing that

you're gonna be okay.

So...

DR. ROVINSKY:

Hey.

How's my favorite patient?

BETHANY:

You say that to everyone.

I mean it

when I see you.

I'll wait outside.

I'll see you later.

So I understand you're

feeling some discomfort.

Yeah.

Well, that's normal.

There's gonna be

a lot of pain

because of

the trauma that you endured.

Not to mention the fact that

you've lost

over 60 percent of your blood.

You're gonna be

feeling kind of lousy

for the next few days,

kid.

Now here's the thing,

Bethany.

The things that you're gonna

have to learn to do differently

is extensive.

But the good news.

Those things you're

not gonna be able to do

is small.

I'm so proud of you.

I'll tell you

something.

She is

a living miracle.

Thanks, David.

Hey, sleepyhead.

Hi.

How you feeling?

I've been better.

When can I surf again?

Are you busy right now?

Kind of.

Soon.

How do you know?

Because you can do

all things...

Through him who

gives me strength.

...through him

who gives me strength.

Noah, eat your food.

It's gross.

I'm not hungry.

Eat it. Mine's fine.

I said,

I'm not hungry.

Well, if you didn't

want it,

why'd you let me

pay for it then?

Fine.

I'll pay you back.

I think you two

should calm down.

I am calm.

We're not doing this.

NOAH:

Doing what?

Life's got to go on

the way it's always gone on.

What are you talking about?

Life is not gonna go on

the way it always has.

Will you stop arguing?

No, he's arguing with me.

TIMMY:

Everyone's yelling at everyone.

TOM:

Stop it. Stop it!

[♪♪♪]

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

[SCREAMS]

Hey, sweetheart.

It's a dream, okay?

Just a dream, that's all.

Just a dream.

[SOBBING]

It wasn't a dream!

It was real.

[SOBBING]

You should go see her.

You know that?

You need

to go see her.

...was resting on her surfboard

in the ocean off Hawaii,

when, suddenly,

a shark bites off her arm.

The girl doesn't even scream,

and her composure

may have saved her life--

[SWITCHES OFF TV]

You're pretty much on

every channel.

Hey!

Where have you been?

You know, at home,

living it up.

So how have you been?

[TEARFULLY]

I thought you were gonna die

out there.

[♪♪♪]

So are you still gonna do

that Rip Curl photo shoot?

They wanted me to.

But I told them I couldn't

do it without you.

But that's crazy.

You've been nuts for that shoot.

You have to do it.

Really?

Yeah. Of course.

Do it for both of us.

[♪♪♪]

CHERI:

You're not gonna believe

how great the house smells.

Plants

are everywhere.

More flowers

have been delivered

than there are growing

on the entire island.

Dr. Rovinsky said

that I can get back

in the water as soon

as my stitches come out.

Can we try

a shower first?

[PEOPLE SINGING

IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

That's so cool.

Who did that?

Everybody.

The bite on Bethany Hamilton's

surfboard

was 16 inches long

and 8 inches wide.

...currently searching for a

shark believed to be responsible

for the attack

on Bethany Hamilton.

CHERI:

It's okay.

[HONKING]

NOAH:

Hey! Hey! Hey!

Hey! Get out of here!

BETHANY:

Where's Dad?

Bethany!

[CLAMORING]

[CAMERAS CLICKING]

I said, leave!

Noah! Noah!

Just get back in the house.

Dad...

Unlock the back door.

Bethany, is this...

Come on, out of my way!

Excuse me! Pardon me!

Excuse me! Excuse me.

I've got it from here,

honey. Scoot over.

What are you

gonna do?

Nice driving, 007.

You know what? I never liked

those bushes anyway, Dad.

Come on, Bethany, I got you.

Give me your bag.

I didn't know you could drive

like that.

Neither did I.

So what do we do now?

Remember when we brought Noah

home from the hospital?

He was our first baby,

and we had no clue what to do.

It's the same thing.

We'll take it

day by day.

[CAMERAS CLICKING]

That's

so messed up.

I wish

they would go away.

[DOG BARKING]

Ginger! Hi, girl!

Oh!

I know, I know, I know.

I know. It's still me.

Ginger!

[LAUGHS]

Who's up for sandwiches?

Sounds so good,

I'm starving.

CHERI:

Noah? Yeah, sure.

Okay,

where's my Spam?

Mexico.

All of it?

CHERI:

I got it. I got it, sweetie.

Sorry, Mom.

It's okay.

Here, let me

grab that.

You want to get

some bread, love?

Yeah.

Um...

I need to go

unpack.

Are you sure?

Uh-huh.

[STRUMMING]

TOM:

I have some good news

to share.

What news?

Holt got a call from that show,

Inside Edition,

and they want to give

Bethany a prosthetic arm.

Wait, wait, wait. She's been

home for five minutes.

They'll pay for

the entire thing.

When did you talk

to a TV show?

And it's custom made.

Will it look normal?

I would think so.

Awesome.

Can they make one

I can surf with?

What does she have to do?

All she has to do

is give a brief interview,

wearing the arm.

Check out my sister

the celebrity.

You don't have to do this.

No. I want to.

Yeah, yeah,

I'll do it.

So it's settled.

Hey, wait.

Let's give thanks.

[♪♪♪]

BETHANY:

That arm could not come

soon enough.

Because trying to make do

with only one,

even harder than it sounds.

I mean, fixing your hair is not

exactly rocket science...

unless you've

only got one arm.

Then it might as well be

a mission to Mars.

Every day of my life,

for as far back

as I could remember,

I was in the water.

And now I couldn't even put

my bathing suit on.

Almost everything

seemed to be a challenge.

But what scared me most

was that I might not be

able to surf again.

[WHISPERING]

It's so sad.

Mommy, what happened

to that girl's arm?

I'm sorry.

CHERI:

Should I go?

Or do you want to do this

together? It's up to you.

Stay.

Okay.

Oh, it's

looking great.

It's healing nicely.

You all right?

There you go.

It's gonna look better

once the stitches are out.

[DOOR SHUTS]

[SIGHING]

[♪♪♪]

Is she

okay?

You okay?

[CRYING]

Hey! I just got back

from Mexico.

I'm so glad

you're okay.

I was just about to

come see you.

I couldn't wait.

Come here.

I was thinking about you, and

praying for you every minute.

How are you?

Oh...

I'm good. Yeah. Everyone's

been doing really good.

You don't have

to do that, Bethany.

Not with me.

[SIGHING]

Um...

They're trying to help.

I know.

I know.

But...

But what?

You know how you said

it's hard to see things

clearly sometimes

when you're too close?

Mmm-hmm.

Well, I've been trying

to get some perspective.

I've been

really trying.

[GASPS]

[SOBBING]

Sarah, how can this be

God's plan for me?

I don't understand.

I don't know why terrible

things happen to us sometimes.

But I have to believe

that something good

is gonna come out of this.

Okay.

I don't know what that is.

I really wish I did.

Come here.

[PHONE RINGING]

NOAH:

Hello?

Dad.

Excuse us.

[♪♪♪]

That's a perfect

fit, bro.

TIMMY:

Come on, Dad.

[♪♪♪]

PHOTOGRAPHER:

Alana, can you take

a half step forward?

Put your hand a little

higher on the board.

That is gorgeous.

Perfect.

♪ Like a star in the sky ♪

Beautiful.

You're a natural,

born for this. Gorgeous.

Absolutely gorgeous.

♪ Like a star in the sky ♪

[BOYS WHOOPING]

♪ I see you ♪

♪ Like a star in the sky ♪

♪ 'Cause I'm livin' ♪

♪ There's a light

In your eyes ♪

PHOTOGRAPHER:

Alana, take a break,

come back,

grab a new bikini,

that'd be perfect.

♪ Do you see them ♪

♪ Like a star in the skies ♪

So? How did I look?

Great.

Not too cheesy,

right?

Uh...

Somewhere between cheddar

and jalapeno jack.

[LAUGHS SARCASTICALLY]

Thank you.

That guy's ripping it up

out there, yeah?

Yeah.

Hey, Alana, we're ready

for you over here!

You know, you should be

doing this with me.

No.

You should.

Go on,

they're waiting for you.

[EXCLAIMS IN FRUSTRATION]

Don't worry about me.

She's right.

You should listen to her.

Yeah, and you should

stop listening

to other people's

conversations, you kook.

Just got your back.

Heh, heh. Loser.

Poser.

You should be out there

with her, though.

Yeah, I should

be with her.

Just not there.

TIMMY:

What's taking so long?

NOAH:

So what's for breakfast?

Wouldn't you like

to know?

Yeah, we would. We're hungry!

Yes!

[BLOWS]

Mmm.

[MIMICKING FANFARE]

Okay.

What's the occasion?

Does there have to be

an occasion

for me

to make my family

fresh squeezed orange juice

and homemade banana bread?

You do realize that tomorrow is

Thanksgiving, not today, right?

Yeah. That's why

it's the perfect time.

Perfect time

for what?

To get back

in the water.

[♪♪♪]

Aren't you afraid?

I'm more afraid of

not surfing.

All right, get out there

and have some fun!

[NOAH WHOOPS]

Come on.

Come on,

let's go already!

Are you ready?

If she is,

I am.

[♪♪♪]

Grab my ankle,

I'll tow you out.

No, I'm good.

There you go!

Just take it nice

and easy, Bethany.

Hey, don't worry about it.

It was a junk wave anyway.

Yeah, I'll get

the next one.

Ooh!

[COUGHING]

CHERI:

Why don't you just paddle today?

No.

We can come back

tomorrow.

No, I'm good.

Try putting your hand

in the center of the board,

along the stringer

so you don't tip over.

[♪♪♪]

[COUGHING]

Be patient, honey.

Yes!

[WHOOPING]

Look at that!

Yeah!

[ALL WHOOPING]

[LAUGHING]

Yeah!

[CHEERING]

[SCREAMING]

[ALL EXCLAIMING]

Yeah!

That's the way

to go, honey!

Got it all on

camera.

Training

starts tomorrow.

Training for what?

The Hawaiian Island

Regionals.

Yeah!

[UPBEAT HAWAIIAN MUSIC PLAYING]

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

TOM:

Excuse me!

Happy Thanksgiving,

everyone.

ALL:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanks so much

for coming.

And if you don't mind, I'd like

to offer up a little toast.

Sweetheart.

We are so blessed and thankful

to God for all of you

because of your love

and your support

over the past few weeks.

And we are

especially thankful

to be spending

yet another Thanksgiving

with our sweet,

beloved daughter.

Here's to Bethany!

ALL:

To Bethany!

[ALL CHEERING]

That was embarrassing.

I thought

it was wonderful.

Hey!

Hey!

I heard you're back

in the water.

I know, and there's

something else.

Oh, yeah?

Uh-huh.

I'm surfing the Hawaiian

Island Regionals.

Are you kidding me?

No!

Oh, my gosh,

that's so amazing!

Bethany, I am so proud

of you!

Thanks.

Well, you really outdid yourself

again this year, Cheri.

I helped.

He tasted everything.

Yeah, one of my many talents.

Like clearing the table.

Let me help you.

Thanks.

I realize this would be a very

different day without you.

You know, I just wish

I could have done more.

Our family is a family

because of you.

TODD:

We have made this

to your exact specifications.

Doesn't it look real?

Yeah. That's kind of weird

how real it looks.

And you can even

paint the fingernails.

Shall we try it on?

Now, you just take that strap,

and I'll take this one.

[BARKING]

Hold tight.

There,

how does that feel?

It's okay.

[SNAPS]

[BARKS]

Um... Let me just see

how it works on my board.

Not weight bearing.

How am I supposed to use it

to push up on my board?

I think you might have to do

that with the other arm.

So is there a way I can grab

the rails to duck dive?

Honey, why don't you

just give it a chance?

How am I supposed to paddle

and surf in this thing?

I mean,

look at it!

Yeah.

TODD:

Because the remainder

of your arm is so short,

mobility will be

limited.

But there's so much

more you can do--

Can I take it off, please?

TODD: Every single thing...

CHERI: Take it off.

She said she wants you

to take it off.

You can turn that off.

[BARKING]

Hey! No! Hey!

Don't! Hey! Drop it!

Ginger!

TIMMY: Drop it! Ginger, stop!

Drop it!

TIMMY: No. Release!

Honey, you can still surf

without it.

TIMMY: Let it go!

NOAH: Ginger!

TIMMY: Bad dog! Bad dog!

NOAH: Ginger!

CHERI:

I like her better that way.

Dad was right.

I don't need it to surf.

No, you don't.

Would it be better

to just say it out loud?

I thought...

I thought at least with clothes

on, I could have two arms.

Thought I could look normal.

Normal is so overrated.

But people like normal,

Mom.

Who?

Guys do.

[INHALING SHARPLY]

I mean, who will even

like me with this?

The right guy will love you

exactly the way you are.

Because you're beautiful.

How do you know?

Because I know.

What's that worth, right?

Nothing.

[SIGHS]

What are you doing?

We had this statue in my house,

when I was a little girl.

It was a replica from a museum

my parents once went to.

I didn't even think

about it until just now.

BETHANY:

Venus de Milo.

For centuries,

all around the world,

she was considered

the pinnacle of beauty.

And she has

one less arm than you.

Yeah,

but I can surf.

[♪♪♪]

[GRUNTS]

So...regionals.

What we have to do is

to get you from here

to here.

It's not gonna

be easy.

I don't need easy,

I just need possible.

With you,

anything's possible.

Let's do it.

♪ Tonight you're letting go

Under the burning glow ♪

♪ We're too young to hold

This all on our own ♪

♪ All that came and went

Riding them by the winds ♪

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

♪ Blowing through the trees ♪

♪ You could feel it

On your skin ♪

♪ Nobody knows

The trouble we've seen ♪

♪ And nobody knows

The price of this dream ♪

Right there. On the take off.

Right there. Now, look.

A little back step.

Yeah.

Could be a sign...

'Cause that time I wiped out.

♪ She wants to be free

Like a runaway ♪

♪ Trying to believe ♪

Just a hair late

when you take off.

So I'll just adjust my body so

that my weight is even more...

Or bring your arm all the

way around.

Yes.

♪ We got just one life ♪

♪ Tonight we're running

All the lights ♪

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

♪ Trying to break free ♪

♪ Like a runaway ♪

♪ The road below our wheels

Flying through the fields ♪

♪ You close your eyes and cry

Dying for the right to feel ♪

Look at her.

That's it, right there!

That is perfect.

Okay.

That's what you want to go for

every time.

Yup.

How'd you feel out there

this morning?

Um, pretty good.

I mean, I have a little trouble

getting under the big waves,

but once I'm up,

I'm solid.

I'll come in if I can't

handle it, okay?

[SPEAKS HAWAIIAN]

Good morning.

I'm Piper Borraow.

And I'm Rob Bucannan.

And we'd like

to welcome you

to the Hawaiian Island

Regionals.

[♪♪♪]

[CHEERING]

TOM:

How do you feel?

BETHANY:

Like barfing.

Yeah, well,

aim for Malina.

If you don't wanna do this,

you don't have to.

I'm not gonna pull out now.

Besides, everyone knows

I've entered.

It's now or never.

Soledad O'Brian is in

Phuket, Thailand.

She has been following

efforts by some survivors

to find their missing

loved ones.

Hey, Bethany. Good luck

out there today, yeah.

Thanks.

Man, that's

really awful.

FEMALE REPORTER:

Clearly, wherever you look

along this path of

this tsunami,

there is just stories of loss,

and thousands already...

I hope you guys

get a lot of donations.

Yeah,

Sarah's organizing a trip

to help the kids in Thailand.

[HORN SOUNDING]

My heat's coming up,

I gotta go. Bye.

Great to have you back,

Bethany.

Thanks. It's good

to be back.

So you're actually

going through with this?

Yeah.

MAN: Hey, Bethany.

BETHANY: Hey.

Judges have approved giving you

a five-minute head start.

I don't want it.

Bethany.

I don't need it.

Okay.

[♪♪♪]

[HORN SOUNDS]

[CROWD CHEERING]

Come on, Bethany.

PIPER:

First heat has started,

and the girls

are making their way

out into the lineup.

♪ Kill me if you dare

Hold my head up everywhere ♪

♪ Keep myself

Right on this train ♪

♪ I'm the underdog

Live my life on a lullaby ♪

All right, we've got Bethany

Hamilton in the blue jersey,

trying to catch her first wave.

[CHEERING]

See ya!

PIPER:

Bethany unable to

get into that wave.

Meanwhile, Malina Birch

scratches into one.

Looks like a good one.

ROB:

All right, Malina Birch

dropped in

on that inside roll,

nice bottom turn.

Off the bottom,

coming up.

Comes around the corner,

gets a nice vertical

off the top there...

[CHEERING]

...as she kicks out to

the challengers.

PIPER:

Hamilton drops into

a nice-looking wave.

[ALL CHEERING]

Ooh! A little loss

of control there.

But nice recovery. She cuts

back into the white water.

Should be a decent scoring ride

for the surfer in blue.

[CHEERING]

♪ I'm the underdog

Live my life on a lullaby ♪

♪ Keep myself riding

On this train ♪

♪ Tell me if you're down ♪

♪ Throw your weapons

To the ground ♪

PIPER:

All right, Alana Blanchard,

drops into a wave of her own,

nice off the bottom,

big snap off the top.

Sets up again for a nice cut

back into the white water.

Whoo!

PIPER:

Speeding down the line,

looking for a little tube

section, gets in there.

Threads that little barrel,

and exits.

Nice wave for

Alana Blanchard.

All right, Rockwell, it looks

like at the 10-minute mark,

we have Malina Birch

in first place

with a 7.3

on her first ride.

[PANTING]

Alana Blanchard is second

with a 6.2.

In third place,

Leila Hurst with a 5.3.

The Surf is picking up.

Whoa, look at that outside,

a big set approaching.

Looks like Bethany Hamilton

is gonna get caught

inside of the biggest wave

of the day.

Come on, Bethany.

Come on!

[INHALES LOUDLY]

Mountains of water rolling

through here at Sunset Beach,

and it looks like our competitor

in blue, Bethany Hamilton,

taking some donuts out there.

[COUGHS]

No! I'm fine!

I knew she wouldn't come in.

Bethany, grab my leash.

I'll pull you

the rest of the way out.

No, I'm fine.

I can do this.

Come on, Bethany!

PIPER: Four minutes left,

and Bethany Hamilton still

stuck in the impact zone, Rob.

Bethany in sixth place

right now.

She's still needing

quite a score.

She's okay.

[♪♪♪]

Malina, don't! You have enough,

let her have it!

ROB:

Alana Blanchard just dropped in

on Malina Birch.

[GROANS]

That's definitely gonna be an

interference call on Blanchard.

PIPER:

Alana Blanchard will not

make it on this heat,

has been disqualified

for the interference.

[SPEAKS INDISTINCTLY]

[♪♪♪]

[GASPING]

I can't take it anymore.

Get her out of there.

I want her out of there.

The lifeguards are on it.

ROB:

Oh, man, it looks like

she broke her board.

PIPER:

Well, unfortunately for

Bethany Hamilton,

a broken board right now

puts her in a bad position.

With only three minutes

remaining,

there's no chance she's making

it out of this first heat.

You shouldn't have dropped in

on Malina like that.

She was trying--

She was just hassling me,

like she always does.

She's a jerk!

At least she was treating me

like I was real competition!

[CAMERAS CLICKING]

What happened out there?

Bethany.

Can we please

just get out of here?

NOAH:

Make a path!

Get out of the way!

[CLAMORING]

[CLAMORING CEASES]

[♪♪♪]

[CAMERAS CLICKING]

WOMAN: Stay calm.

REPORTER: How are you feeling?

That's enough, come on.

[CHATTERING]

Bethany, I know that you

got beat up pretty bad

out there today,

sweetheart.

But you can't let it

get you down--

Enough, Dad, okay?

I can't do this anymore!

Yes, you can,

honey.

Listen to her.

GIRL:

Bethany! Bethany! Bethany!

Hey, Bethany!

Can I get your autograph?

I have something

even better actually.

Here.

Cool!

Bethany,

what are you doing?

GIRL:

Oh, my God! This is so cool!

Awesome, thanks!

Enjoy them.

Bethany.

Dad, just stop. Okay?

It's over.

[TRUCK DOOR OPENS, CLOSES]

CHERI:

That's not what I'm saying.

You can't give up on her.

And you can't keep

pushing at her.

What are you supposed to do,

just let her quit?

If she wants to, yes.

TOM: That's ridiculous.

CHERI:

Then you're not hearing

what I'm saying.

TOM:

What? What?

What is it

that I'm not hearing?

You can't always fix everything

by sheer will.

Sometimes there is no...

[INCREASES VOLUME]

ANNOUNCER: Hamilton has to be

considered the favorite

as we head to

the Hawaiian Island Regionals.

She's a surfer.

She's a competitor.

She's more than that.

Cheri, if she walks

away from this...

If she quits, she may never

get back in the water again.

And she will never

be the same.

She will never be the same.

And if she thinks the only life

out there for her is surfing,

and she can't make that happen,

then she's gonna be lost.

Really, really lost.

[♪♪♪]

Go ahead, tell me how

everything's gonna be okay.

Yeah, that's me,

Mr. Jump-Right-In-And-Fix-It.

If I could just keep

my mouth shut...for once.

I'm done, aren't I?

I can't even paddle out

to the lineup

past the big waves.

I don't understand.

What happened to

"I can do all things"?

Why?

Why did this happen?

Why did I have to lose

everything?

You didn't lose

everything, Bethany.

Not even close.

That shark didn't kill you.

You're still here.

You're still alive.

With a family

that loves you.

What am I supposed

to do now?

I don't know.

Then how am I

supposed to know?

When the time is right,

you'll know.

Until then,

you...pray...

...and you listen.

Listen for what?

For what comes next.

SARAH:

Okay, Lymar,

I hope you remembered your

toothbrush this time, okay?

Did you remember

your socks?

Because you are not

borrowing mine again.

Could you

pass these out?

Bethany?

Mind if I tag along?

I'm sure we can scrounge up

something for you to do.

[SARAH CHUCKLES]

Hey.

[♪♪♪]

[BLEATING]

[CLUCKING]

All right, guys,

let's go.

[ROSEMARY SHOUTING

INSTRUCTIONS IN FRENCH]

SARAH:

Rosemary.

Sarah! Hey, thank you

for coming.

Hey.

This is Bethany.

Bethany, yeah,

I've heard a lot about you.

I'm happy you're here.

Grab some bags

and pass them out.

All right, everybody

make a line.

Just grab it and

pass it down. Come on.

Keep it going!

SARAH: Come on, guys.

MAN 1: Keep going.

Make a line.

MAN 2: Got it?

WOMAN: Yeah.

MAN 2:

Thanks.

Good job.

MAN 2: Yeah, sure.

[CHATTERING IN THAI]

She wants to thank you all

for what you've been doing.

They're very grateful.

We're so happy

we can help.

We know they've been through

so much.

[ROSEMARY TRANSLATING IN THAI]

[WOMAN CHATTERING]

ROSEMARY:

She says that it was just

a normal day like any other.

But that they saw

the water roll back

and they went to get the fish

and the lobsters.

But then they saw the wave,

and it was too late.

And the water just kept coming,

there weren't many survivors.

WOMAN [IN ENGLISH, CRYING]:

I lost my family.

Another family,

they all died...

I'm so sad.

[♪♪♪]

You okay?

[WHIMPERING]

Yeah.

SARAH:

It's all right.

Don't be sorry for

compassion, Bethany.

It can move us

to do amazing things.

And it can help you get

a new perspective.

Why don't you

take a minute,

then when you're feeling better,

come back and join us.

'Cause there's

a lot to do. Okay?

Good.

[SNIFFLING]

BETHANY:

Here you go.

[BETHANY SPEAKS IN THAI]

Hello.

[SPEAKS IN THAI]

Here you go.

How come no one's

in the water?

We brought

all these boards.

Still petrified.

BETHANY:

Is it safe?

Yeah.

Oh!

Heh, heh!

Something's missing,

yeah?

They said he wandered up

a few days after the tsunami.

What's his name?

They don't know.

He hasn't said a word,

he won't even smile.

Hey, do you want

to go in the water?

Do you want to go out to

the ocean and go swimming?

No?

[♪♪♪]

Hey, can I borrow

your board?

Yeah.

BETHANY:

Thank you.

Thanks.

[♪♪♪]

[PEOPLE SINGING

IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

BETHANY:

They say the Lord works

in mysterious ways.

I say

that's an understatement.

Who would have thought

that teaching a kid to surf

would teach me

that surfing isn't

the most important thing

in the world?

And that something else is.

Love.

Bigger than any tidal wave.

More powerful than any fear.

[EXCITED CHATTERING]

Hey, I'm home!

Hey, there she is.

How was your trip?

BETHANY:

Great.

What's all this stuff?

NOAH:

Oh, you know,

just a little fan mail.

Went ahead and sorted it out

by country.

Are you serious?

Yup.

And apparently,

you are very popular

in Madagascar.

No way.

"Dear Bethany.

My name is Stephanie Bolt,

"I'm 11 years old

and I go to Northcross

"Intermediate School

in New Zealand."

BETHANY:

People are so amazing.

There's an eighth grader

from North Carolina,

who lost his arm.

Logan, and he says that

he's gonna try out

for his school soccer team

'cause of me.

And he's rooting for me

in my next competition.

I mean,

I don't understand,

I totally blew it

at regionals.

Why would they

want me to compete?

You tried.

And apparently,

Dylan and Stephanie like that.

Hey, Dad.

I need your help.

Name it.

I think I wanna compete.

You sure?

You don't have to.

I'll take it

heat by heat.

Okay.

So we need to

figure out something.

Some way so when I duck dive,

I don't get pounded.

Yeah.

You mean

something like this?

Yeah.

[♪♪♪]

[CHEERING]

You sure she can use it

in competition?

Sure. Judges don't score on

how you get out to the waves.

They only care about

what you do when you catch one.

Go ahead, say it.

[LAUGHING]

I'm a genius.

You are...

Come on, say it.

Tom,

you're a genius!

Genius.

You're very smart.

you are

very smart.

Genius. Come on,

you know it.

You're cute. You're very cute.

Genius. Genius.

Hey.

Hey.

Remember me?

No.

That's really nice. Best friends

since birth, nothing.

No. Nothing.

Good. Good sign.

[BOTH LAUGHING]

Hey,

thanks for coming.

Thanks for calling.

I'm sorry I snapped at you

at regionals.

Me too.

I miss you.

Me too.

Friends?

Of course.

[LAUGHING]

["IT'S YOUR LIFE" PLAYING]

♪ This is the moment

It's on the line ♪

♪ Which way you gonna fall? ♪

♪ In the middle

Between wrong and right ♪

[INAUDIBLE DIALOGUE]

♪ But you know after all ♪

♪ It's your life

What you gonna do? ♪

♪ The world is watching you ♪

♪ Every day

The choices you make ♪

♪ Say what you are

And who your heart beats for ♪

♪ It's an open door ♪

♪ It's your life ♪

KEOKI:

Hey, Bethany!

I saw you surfing out there

this morning. You were amazing.

Maybe for a girl with one arm.

By any standard.

As for one arm, that just

levels the playing field.

All right, all right.

What do you want?

I want you to dominate

at nationals.

Hey, Keoki, thanks.

For what?

Just for always showing up

for me, no matter what.

Well, it's because

I care about you.

I mean, even if you did miss

my last competition and all.

I was in the hospital,

you psycho.

Excuses, excuses.

[CHUCKLES]

Ah! Ow!

Bethany, I'm sorry.

I wasn't even...

Gotcha.

BETHANY:

Sucker! Ha, ha!

Welcome to the Rip Curl Junior

Nationals Surfing Championships.

David Stanfield,

along with Beau Hodge.

And, Beau, we have

an exciting day today.

BEAU:

We've got an excellent day

of surfing on hand.

We'll see the best amateur

surfers from around the country.

DAVID:

We have a panel of four

international judges

watching this

national championship.

High and low scores

are thrown out,

but what are the judges

looking for?

BEAU:

Well, Dave, we have

25-minute heats.

Each rider is allowed to catch

a maximum of 10 waves per heat.

The best two waves will be

tallied for the final score.

What the judges

are looking for:

style, flow and power and

control in radical maneuvers

in the most critical sections

of the wave.

DAVE:

We have surf

in the 6-to-8-foot range,

it looks like out there.

What's key about

this six-person heat

is in fact that paddling

and positioning, right?

These girls are tough,

especially Malina,

you know that.

The surf is big

out there today,

so if you try to match them

wave for wave,

you're just

gonna wear yourself out

with all that paddling.

Yeah.

So don't take just

any wave that comes along.

The greatest surfers, they all

have this sixth sense.

They know when

the best waves are coming.

They can feel it.

It's a gift.

You have that gift too.

I do?

Well, your mom's right, honey.

You are a little mermaid.

You know that moment between

the sets when it's quiet

and the waves

haven't even formed yet,

it's just energy

surging through the water.

Well, that's the time

to be patient.

Listen to

your instinct.

Trust it.

You'll know.

Go get 'em.

REPORTERS:

Malina! Malina!

Over the past few months,

Malina Birch has dominated

every heat she's surfed,

winning three contests in a row.

No one has come close.

She's by far the person

to beat today.

REPORTERS [CLAMORING]: Bethany!

[CAMERAS CLICKING]

Don't worry, it's all part

of being sponsored.

We love you, Bethany!

[WHOOPS]

I'm gonna go

get the rash guards.

What are you

doing here?

Um, I'm surfing,

same as you.

Well, I hope you don't need

to be rescued again.

Actually, Malina,

I wanted to thank you.

For what?

Just for never

taking it easy on me.

It means a lot.

ALANA:

You ready?

Okay.

DAVID:

Bethany Hamilton's

appearance here

is truly

a remarkable comeback.

Against all odds,

she has earned her spot

into the National

Championships.

Everyone in attendance

is hopeful

that Bethany

has a great contest.

But at the highest

level of competition,

there are no free rides.

We begin with our first round

of competition.

[TOOTS]

And there's the horn.

The first heat is underway.

[♪♪♪]

Yes!

[CHEERING]

Yes!

[WHOOPING]

[CHEERING]

[CHEERING]

Can you believe it?

[♪♪♪]

[HORN SOUNDS]

DAVID: Advancing to the finals

by two-tenths of a point,

the big story

is Bethany Hamilton.

She was looking for

a 7.2

and scored a 7.4

on her last wave.

She'll be wearing blue

out in the lineup

with her good friend, wearing

pink, Alana Blanchard.

And their competitors,

black, Malina Birch.

Yellow, Leila Hurst.

White, Nage Melamed,

and in orange, Kelia Moniz.

And the judges are looking for

some progressive surfing today.

BEAU:

That's right, Dave.

They'll have a 25-minute heat,

be scored on 10 waves,

but they'll keep their best

two waves for the final score

on the zero to 10 point range.

[HORN SOUNDS]

And there's the horn

and the heat is underway.

[♪♪♪]

[APPLAUSE]

Yeah!

BEAU: There's Nage Melamed.

She scores two vertical turns,

and the judges

give her a 6.75,

and what a great start

to this heat.

DAVID:

Alana Blanchard

picking up a set wave.

Works her way

down the line.

Snaps a big turn

off the top.

Comes around her competitor

with an aggressive reentry.

And pink cracks

the lip one more time.

Great run, Alana!

BEAU:

Situation with 15 minutes

remaining in the heat,

surfer in orange, Kelia Moniz,

you have a 5.4.

Surfer in white, Nage Melamed,

you have a 6.75.

Surfer in pink,

Alana Blanchard,

you are in first place

with a 7.0.

Way to go, Alana!

Go!

[ALL GROAN]

DAVID:

Beau, Hamilton goes down

hard in the impact zone,

and she is struggling.

That's okay.

You'll get another one!

Stay in there,

stay in there, Bethany.

DAVID:

Take a look at this.

We've got four competitors

scratching for this wave.

And surfer in black

takes control of the peak.

BEAU:

Birch on the nice takeoff.

She sprays Bethany!

Great off the top!

[CHEERING]

Birch snaps

under the lip.

Banks it off the white water

one more time.

Man, she is on fire today.

One away. Malina Birch

has scored a 9.25,

according to the judges,

and that is a high score.

Now she is in the lead,

Blanchard in second.

Melamed in third,

Leila Hurst in fourth,

Bethany Hamilton

is in fifth,

and in sixth right now

is Moniz.

BEAU:

Hamilton with a stall

and goes over the falls.

Is she gonna be all right?

It's okay. Everybody gets

caught every once in a while.

She can handle it.

[♪♪♪]

BEAU:

Precious time on the clock

right now, Dave.

And it looks like

Alana is paddling into

a big wave on the outside.

DAVID:

Ooh! And Alana Blanchard

takes a spill there too.

Ladies and gentlemen, Malina

Birch is up and riding again.

This girl's a wave magnet

today, Beau.

She certainly is in

rhythm with the ocean.

Way above the pack here

in today's competition.

Malina Birch has just scored

a 9.5 on her last wave.

That is the highest wave

of the contest.

She's gonna need

two nine-plus waves

to even come close

to catching Malina.

She's got less than

five minutes.

DAVID:

With time winding down

and no waves on the horizon,

our surfers are anxious

to get a final score.

Look for the girls to

scramble for any solid wave

before the hooter blows.

Check this out,

ladies and gentlemen.

There's some energy

out in back.

Looks like the girls

have spotted something

on the horizon.

Paddle, Bethany.

Paddle hard.

DAVID:

Beau, take a look at this.

Birch and Hamilton

paddle-battle out the back.

BEAU:

And Hamilton really needs

to beat her to the inside.

If she's got

a chance here today.

Come on, Bethany,

stay ahead of her!

Don't let up!

You got her!

[♪♪♪]

DAVID:

Unbelievable, Beau,

all Malina's got to do

is block Bethany Hamilton

from getting to the inside

and she's got this contest

in the bag.

[BOTH PANTING]

Paddle hard!

DAVID:

Birch is still blocking

Hamilton from the inside.

I don't know how she's gonna

catch this wave, Beau.

Paddle!

Paddle!

BEAU:

We've got a paddle-battle

to the outside.

It's Birch. It's Hamilton.

[YELLING]

She's got her on the ropes.

Can Bethany catch the wave?

This is her last chance.

[♪♪♪]

Yes!

Yes!

She's got the wave,

David!

This is the one she's been

waiting for all contest long.

DAVID:

Absolutely unbelievable.

Bethany Hamilton duck dives

under Malina Birch

while Birch is still out there

looking for another ride.

[♪♪♪]

[CHEERING]

Sick one, Bethany!

[WHOOPING]

That was an unbelievable ride

by Bethany Hamilton.

[CHEERING]

MAN: Yes!

[WHOOPING]

The judges

give her a 9.7.

[CHEERING]

Yes!

It's the highest score

of the heat!

Wow!

But she's still fifth!

All right, guys, she needs

one more, one more.

[♪♪♪]

Bethany Hamilton is paddling

outside the lineup.

What does she see?

I don't know, Dave,

but no one's been paddling out

in that area

all during the contest.

Why is she so far out?

What,

is she giving up?

I don't know.

She feels something.

What are you doing?

BEAU:

Dave, there's only one minute

remaining on the clock.

It is dead flat.

The contest

may be already over.

Why is she stopping?

There's nothing out there.

Not yet.

DAVID:

Only 45 seconds on the clock

and no set waves

on the horizon.

This contest

may be over, Beau.

We are counting down

to end this final.

Just 30 seconds

left on the clock.

Big bomb

on the outside.

BEAU:

Fifteen seconds remaining.

Everybody else

is too far inside.

DAVID:

The Rip Curl Nationals,

10 seconds to go!

And there is Bethany Hamilton

with an amazing wave

out the back.

Will this be enough?

[PANTING]

She is paddling,

and here comes the wave.

[SOUNDING]

She's taken the drop!

[CHEERING]

[♪♪♪]

[APPLAUSE]

An amazing barrel

for Bethany Hamilton.

Perfect positioning.

Was she up

before the horn?

They have to count it.

[CHEERING]

Way to go, Bethany!

Yeah!

Ha-ha-ha!

Ha, yeah!

[SIGHS]

[CHEERING]

Unbelievable.

Bethany Hamilton's

amazing wave at the end

does not count.

She stood up after the horn.

ALL: What?

So she gets no score.

Malina Birch, your new National

Champion.

Yes!

No!

It's okay, Dad.

It's okay.

But it didn't count.

It counted.

It totally counted.

Yes, it did.

I'm still checking

that video. Noah!

[CAMERAS CLICKING]

Hey. You okay?

Very. Are you?

Yeah.

Yeah, I think so.

What am I

supposed to do now?

You're supposed to

enjoy it. All of it.

For the rest of your life.

[CHEERING]

Yeah!

DAVID: In fifth place,

Good job.

DAVID:

Bethany Hamilton!

Yeah! Bethany!

And in fourth place,

Leila Hurst.

Third place, Nage Melamed.

Second place, Alana Blanchard.

HOLT: Way to go, baby!

DAVID:

And in first place,

Malina Birch.

Hey.

Hey, Malina. Great job.

You're a tough opponent.

Bethany Hamilton,

nobody is as tough as you.

Get up here.

Come on. Come on.

I'd like to share this win

with Bethany Hamilton.

Because the judges may not

have counted that last wave...

but I did.

Bethany.

[CHEERING]

[WHOOPS, GIGGLES]

Bethany! Bethany!

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Just back off, okay.

It's okay.

Are you sure?

You don't have

to talk to them.

Yeah, but what about Dylan

or Logan or Stephanie?

What if they're watching?

Bethany, I'm from

Transworld Surf magazine.

Are you upset

you didn't win today?

I didn't come to win.

I came to surf.

Bethany, I just wanted

to ask you

if you could go back

to that day

and not have gone surfing,

would you do it?

I wouldn't change

what happened to me,

because then I wouldn't have

this chance

in front of all of you.

This chance to embrace

more people

than I ever could have

with two arms.

[PEOPLE SINGING

IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE]

BETHANY:

I was born to surf.

This is why I wake up at

the crack of dawn every day.

This is why I endure

belly rashes, reef cuts,

muscles so tired

they feel like noodles.

And I've learned that

life is a lot like surfing.

When you get caught in

the impact zone,

you need to get right back up

because you never know

what's over the next wave.

And if you have faith,

anything is possible.

Anything at all.

["THE UNKNOWN" PLAYING]

♪ Let your world ♪

♪ Be wide open ♪

♪ And your fears ♪

♪ Be blown apart ♪

♪ May your voice ♪

[CHEERING]

♪ Be louder than bombs ♪

♪ Somewhere in silence ♪

♪ Find one to trust ♪

Yeah, it was so much fun

just seeing him

get better and better

on every wave

and get up and ride

all the way to the beach.

It was awesome.

ANNOUNCER:

Throwing out the ceremonial

first pitch

of the 2004 season

is Bethany Hamilton.

[CROWD ROARING]

Strike.

ANNOUNCER:

Thank you, Bethany!

BETHANY:

I think I got my courage

from Jesus Christ.

He says, "Be strong."

♪ Let your senses ♪

♪ Be ignited ♪

You think

you're gonna surf again?

I think?

I know

I'm gonna surf again.

♪ ... in the dark ♪

♪ Connected to the planet ♪

♪ A million neighbors ♪

♪ A sea of stars ♪

♪ Lift your head up ♪

♪ Untie the knot ♪

♪ My little sunshine ♪

♪ Hope is never

Light years away ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Leaders, lovers

Come and go ♪

♪ Outside forces

You can't control ♪

♪ Oh, I see you smiling ♪

♪ At the unknown ♪

♪ Lift your head up ♪

♪ Untie the knot ♪

♪ My little sunshine ♪

♪ Hope is never

Light years away ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Hope is never

Light years away ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Oh ♪

♪ Hope is never

Light years away ♪

["SET THE WORLD ON FIRE"

PLAYING]

♪ I wanna set the world

On fire ♪

♪ Until it's burning

Bright for you ♪

♪ It's everything

That I desire ♪

♪ Can I be the one you use? ♪

♪ I, I am small but ♪

♪ You, you are big enough ♪

♪ I, I am weak but ♪

♪ You, you are

Strong enough to ♪

♪ Take my dreams ♪

♪ Come and give them wings ♪

♪ Lord, with you ♪

♪ There's nothing

I cannot do ♪

♪ Nothing I cannot do ♪

♪ I wanna feed

The hungry children ♪

♪ And reach across

The farthest land ♪

♪ And tell the broken

There is healing ♪

♪ And mercy

In the Father's hands ♪

♪ I, I am small but ♪

♪ You, you are big enough ♪

♪ I, I am weak but ♪

♪ You, you are

Strong enough to ♪

♪ Take my dreams ♪

♪ Come and give them wings ♪

♪ Lord, with you ♪

♪ There's nothing

I cannot do ♪

♪ Take my dreams ♪

♪ Come and give them wings ♪

♪ Lord, with you ♪

♪ There's nothing

I cannot do ♪

♪ Take my dreams ♪

♪ Come and give them wings ♪

♪ 'Cause, Lord, with you ♪

♪ There's nothing

I can't do ♪

♪ Nothing I can't do ♪

♪ I'm gonna set the world

On fire ♪

♪ Set the world on fire ♪