“In the end, my love for surfing helped me overcome my fear of sharks.”

Surfing is very special and unique. It’s really hard to explain unless you’ve tried it. It’s being out in the ocean in the sun, the water on your skin, and the adrenalin rush when you catch a wave. You have to be creative so it’s like an art form in a way.

I’m just waiting for God to tell me what to do, but whatever it is, I want to be doing something like I am doing now-serving God and helping people.

Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That’s what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice.

I think it doesn’t matter if you are the best surfer in the world. I’m going to try to be the best surfer I can be. It’s not all about competing and being the best. It’s more about having fun and just doing what you love.

I enjoy hanging out with friends, going on hikes and playing tennis. I also enjoy Bible study and making dinners. I have a pretty mellow life away from the water.

Life is a lot like surfing… When you get caught in the impact zone, you’ve got to just get back up. Because you never know what may be over the next wave.

There’s no such thing as a handicap – it’s all in your head

Being out there in the ocean, God’s creation, it’s like a gift He has given us to enjoy.

I could never have embraced this many people with two arms.

God created the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the waves for our enjoyment. Surfing is just my way of worshipping Him.

Doing everything with one arm, being well-known, and having a book and a movie, it’s fairly abnormal. As far as just not having to worry about past experiences, I’ve healed very well.

I think passion is something that’s more powerful than even love. It’s something that you’re not willing to let go of, and you’ll work really hard to make sure that stays a part of your life.

The paramedic whispered in my ear ‘God will never leave you or forsake you.’

I don’t really want people looking to me for inspiration. I just want to be a sign along the way that points toward Heaven.

My only real fear was that I would not be able to surf again because I was concerned that I would not physically be able to do it. I knew that if I wasn’t able to surf then my life would really change.

Both of my parents are surfers, of course, so they understood where my passion for surfing was at and I guess they saw the talent that I had.

Nothing has prepared sharks, squid, krill and other sea creatures for industrial-scale extraction that destroys entire ecosystems while targeting a few species.

By the end of the 20th century, up to 90 percent of the sharks, tuna, swordfish, marlins, groupers, turtles, whales, and many other large creatures that prospered in the Gulf for millions of years had been depleted by overfishing.

Sharks are beautiful animals, and if you’re lucky enough to see lots of them, that means that you’re in a healthy ocean.

We are all sharks circling, and waiting, for traces of blood to appear in the water.

When I put something into motion

I’m just like a shark, in that way. If I stop swimming, I’ll die.

Feet sandaled with dreams tread paths of vision leading to wisdom’s sharp peaks.

Human things have long since jumped the shark.