Bethany Hamilton, whose story of perseverance after losing an arm to a shark attack inspired the 2011 movie “Soul Surfer,” announced her engagement on Wednesday.
Hamilton, 23, will tie the knot with her boyfriend of one year, Christian youth minister Adam Dirks. The professional surfer wrote on her blog that the two met at the beach on “somewhat of a blind date” last spring, and that the first thing they did was jump off a cliff together. "You could say it was love at first cliff jump," wrote Hamilton.
Dirks popped the question on April 9, to which Hamilton replied with an enthusiastic "yes".
“I know Adam and I are right for each other and that God has us together for Him," Hamilton wrote on her blog. "Neither of us is perfect, but in my eyes Adam is just right and I'm thankful to have someone so perfectly perfect to share life with as one."
“Every time she says, ‘I love you,’ I can’t help but smile and skip a few heart beats,’’ Adam wrote in a guest post on her blog. “To feel the love of someone who genuinely loves me for who I am and am becoming, is indescribable.”
Hamilton was 13 years old when her left arm was severed in an attack by a tiger shark when she was surfing in the North Shore in Kauai, Hawaii. One year later, she was back to competing in surfing competitions and turned professional in 2007.
"I'm so thankful for [Adam] and look forward to living life together," wrote Hamilton. "Adam, I love you and I'm here to stay!"