Tunnels Beach in Kauai, Hawaii – the actual beach where the shark attack took place The lush green, rugged coastal mountains here are simply striking, and the turquoise waters leave little mystery as to why surfers are drawn to it in the first place. Just as it did in real life, the onscreen-shark attack takes place at Tunnels Beach, where Bethany and her friend, Alana Blanchard (played by Lorraine Nicholson), set out to enjoy an early morning surf. Just months after losing her arm, Bethany visited Phuket to help with her church’s youth group. Additional scenes were shot in Tahiti, which doubled as Phuket, Thailand in the aftermath of the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. But nothing could have prepared her for the horror of a tiger shark attack while out on calm and clear waters on the morning of Halloween in 2003.īethany was raised on the glorious green coast of Kauai’s North Shore, so it won’t surprise you to learn that Soul Surfer was filmed in Hawaii. And she had already been surfing since she was eight years old. For all the post-attack scenes, Robb’s left arm was digitally-removed using state-of-the-art special effects, although you might be more fascinated by the fact that some of the film’s stunts were performed by the real Bethany Hamilton herself.Īt age thirteen, Bethany’s path was as crystal clear as the Hawaiian waters on which she spent most of her days: she wanted to surf. In the film, Bethany is played by AnnaSophia Robb and her parents are portrayed by veteran actors Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt. The film was a success in the US and Canada and a hit with audiences, but more importantly it helped to share Bethany’s journey with the wider world. After all, it’s one that has since been told in both book and film.īased on the autobiographical novel, Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board, director Sean McNamara’s Soul Surfer (2011) tells the story of Bethany’s determination to surf again. It’s fair to say that most people will be familiar with the story of the young surfer who lost her left arm in a shark attack on Kauai’s North Shore back in 2003. Hawaii has seen a great deal of inspirational real-life stories in its time, but that of “soul surfer” Bethany Hamilton is one that tends to stand out more than others.