Kaua'i surfers head right back out

By Matt Sedensky
Associated Press

HA'ENA, Kaua'i — It had been hardly a day since a shark ripped off the arm of 13-year-old Bethany Hamilton in waters here, but the thought of a vicious predator lurking in her own backyard couldn't keep Jill Schwed from catching some waves yesterday.

"To not surf would be like taking away your breath," the 36-year-old Kilauea masseuse said.

As Bethany laid in a hospital bed about 30 miles away, dozens who surfed alongside her descended on the very waters where she was bitten Friday morning, shrugging off the attack as one of the risks taken to fulfill a passion.

"If you physically can't surf ever again, I would rather the shark kill me," said Craig Schwed, a surfboard builder and Jill's husband.

While family members said hundreds stopped by Wilcox Memorial Hospital to show their concern for Bethany, many went right back to doing what Bethany loved best, even as the beaches were technically closed.

Bobby Cocke's white pickup had four surfboards in the back as an ambulance went whirring by Kaua'i's north shore Friday. Word already had spread that it carried Bethany Hamilton, but that couldn't keep the owner of the Kai Kane surf shop from riding some waves.

"The reality is we're in their world," Cocke said of the sharks. "If you throw yourself into their environment, you're putting yourself at risk."

Sharks are not uncommon in Hawai'i's waters, particularly in the early-morning hours, when Bethany was attacked, and during the breeding season, now in progress.

Many surfers heading out on Kaua'i yesterday said they had seen sharks in their years on the water, or simply gotten the uneasy feeling that one was nearby.

"Sometimes you get the feeling, but you don't let it bother you," said Robert Borgert, 19, a construction worker from Hanama'ulu.

Cocke said he had come face to face with sharks, but doesn't let it deter him.

Then again, he said, "it depends how good the surf is."