Surfer and Supermum, Bethany Hamilton is Pregnant with Her Third Child

Inspirational pro surfer, shark attack survivor and supermum, Bethany Hamilton, has just announced her pregnancy with husband, Adam Dirks. Their third little surf grommet due in February next year.

Last week Bethany Hamilton shared the exciting news via Instagram in a video she shared with her family captioned “Grateful for more family fun to come!!!” her baby bump clearly popping as she cruised the beach in her favourite Rip Curl bikini.

We caught up with Bethany soon after to hear how she is going so far and what she’s most excited for as her family grows to five. However, the question on all of our minds… how does Bethany balance being both a mum to two young boys as well as training and surfing regularly on the Rip Curl Team? Read on to find out…

Bethany, Congratulations! We couldn’t be more thrilled to hear the news of bub number three on the way. How are you? Can you talk to us a little bit about your journey as a mother so far?

Hi! Thank you! It’s been awesome!!! I love sharing life with my boys they bring a lot of joy and fun to each and every day I don’t even know what I did with all the time I used to have; now we’re constantly up to something! Also, they challenge me to be a better human. And they keep me dreaming of the future!

That’s great. Have you and Adam always hoped for a younger brother or sister for Wesley and Tobias?

We have! We knew we wanted a big family we both come from decent sized families and love having siblings now and while growing up. I also don’t want to be too old when having children for many reasons but energy and health wise being two.

How excited are Wesley and Tobias to have a new younger sibling soon?

They seem really excited, especially Tobias! Wesley is super cute too when he feels the baby moving inside me.

That’s gorgeous. So, when are you due?

Baby is due Feb next year! 4 months to go!

Do you have any feelings as to whether it’s going to be a little boy or a little girl? Or do you already know the gender…

We are waiting till birth to find out if baby a boy or a girl. We like the surprise!!!

So, how are you feeling this pregnancy, third time round? You’re pretty much a pro Mum now, as well as a pro surfer. Does it get any easier?

On one hand, it’s easier because you kind of know what to expect. But pregnancy has its challenges and some days all is great and some days it’s not so great, like energy, emotions and the like. But overall, I’ve typically had very smooth pregnancies.

That’s great to hear. Do you have any go to daily pregnancy rituals? Those little things you try to do every day, be it a type of exercise, food, mediation etc?

Definitely eating very healthy, I’m not the type to make excuses and eat all the unhealthy cravings. I believe baby deserves the healthiest diet I can give. I actually crave foods like brothy soups and just the healthy stuff. I also try to nap when I feel tired.

Later on in pregnancy I emphasize getting lots of walks in and a few birthing preparations exercises every day. They really help.

Sounds like you’ve got it pretty sorted. So, how do you balance being both a pro surfer and a Mum? They are two big full-time jobs!

It’s a forever a balance and sometimes it’s hard. But at least the beach is a great place to raise kids, so they get to just come along. I’ve def had to get more organized and I’m sooo grateful for the support of my husband Adam!

Of course, the beach is a fantastic place to raise kids. In terms of being both an athlete and a Mum, what has this taught you about the strength of women’s bodies and what they can handle?

I’ve grown to be more and more thankful for my body. Birthing a child is no small feat. I’ve worked very hard to take care of my body during and after my boys were born. It’s definitely changed my body and my strength in some ways. I’m ok with that! In my journey, I’ve done so much core strengthening but still don’t feel like I’ve gotten back to full strength. But I do believe you can do a lot to help your body recover the best it can.

We all agree, you are a superwoman. From memory you actually surfed Teahupo’o when you were about four months pregnant with Tobias a few years back! Were you, by any chance, pregnant during your three days with Erin Brooks at Waco?

I was about 4 months along surfing at Waco so that was a really interesting being pregnant and keeping up with the grom, plus the amount of time we were putting in the water going for high-performance surf moves.

Watch Bethany and Erin at Waco – Master & ApprenticeSince

Since this interview was completed, Bethany actually posted on Instagram about her time at Waco with Erin, and how it felt to be pregnant whilst shredding at the wave pool… “I was 4 month prego playing on the air section with @ripcurl_women at @bsrsurfresort and it was a challenge to say the least!


Wow! Does having a baby on board make you think and act differently when you go surfing?

Once I get further along 4-5 months, I usually stick to smaller surf. Oddly enough, surfing waves with a little more power make it a lot easier popping up on the surfboard and therefore less pressure on my belly. So, Hawaii is a good for surfing pregnant!

This is likely different for everyone, but for you, how early after giving birth and how close to birth can you keep surfing?

I usually wait at least 5 to 6 weeks and even then, I’m easing it back into it. I can feel my body being pretty weak and needing more time to recover. So around 8 weeks I start doing gentle recovery moves and in time the body get happy. I love the newborn stage but it’s def a challenge to not have much movement being as active as I am normally.

Yep, superwoman. So, what are you most excited about, once the baby is born?

I love the nursing relationship I get to share with baby and all the cuddles. I am really excited to see the relationship between big brothers and the baby too; Tobias will be almost six and Wesley will be just about three. It’s just such a sweet time, nothing can compare to family.

Congratulation Bethany and Adam. We are so stoked for you and can’t wait to meet the next addition to your family in February next year.