Bethany Hamilton Wins $5k at Pipeline Surf Contest (Video)

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Jan 21, 2025 3:04 PM ET

The Da Hui Backdoor Shootout, which wrapped up last week in picture-perfect Pipeline conditions on Oahu’s North Shore, is a one-of-a-kind surf contest. Unlike other events, the Shootout features a team format, scores can go up to 12 rather than 10, men and women compete alongside each other, and more often than not, competitors score excellent conditions with just a few others in the water.

This year, North Shore native Koa Rothman won the individual event with a perfect score on the final day of competition (earning him $55,000), while Team Japan took the group win.

Throughout the event, there were a handful of other standouts – including Bethany Hamilton, who, despite the obvious hindrance, was absolutely charging…but that’s no surprise, given her Pipeline track record.

Koa Smith, one of Bethany’s team members on the A New Earth Project cohort, documented the event and dropped the recap video above, showcasing highlights from him and his team. And, like we covered previously here on SURFER, Bethany stuck a few mental, super steep Pipeline drops.

“Oh my god, I was in the perfect place to see both of Bethany’s drops,” Koa said, regarding a few waves Bethany caught earlier in the event window. “I was, like, borderline don’t go. But she was just so committed.”

And Bethany added: “Mid to early afternoon, there wasn’t really many inviting ones in my eyes. So, I was like, ‘I don’t know.’ But then those second reef popups started coming through. I saw one that I wanted. I was like, ‘okay I’ll go out. I’ll hunt and look and crawl…just give it a go if it comes to me.’”

In the end, her performance was enough to win the “Most Inspirational” award during the event, which came with a $5,000 check. Not too shabby.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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