Wedding joy for pro surfer who had arm bitten off by 15ft tiger shark as a teenager

A champion surfer who had her arm bitten off by a shark as a teenager has got married to her Christian youth minister fiancé.

Bethany Hamilton, 23, tied the knot with partner Adam Dirks in a small ceremony on Saturday.

The pro-surfer previously said she thought it would be 'hard' to meet someone due to the savage attack in October 2003 where a 15ft tiger shark bit off her left arm from just below the shoulder.

She lost 60 per cent of the blood in her body in the horrific attack, but remarkably did not give up on her surfing dreams and starting competing professionally in 2007.

And Bethany this weekend described 'the most beautiful, wonderful day of my life' as she tied the knot on the Hawaiian island if Kauai.

Bethany had previously told InTouch: 'To say I was completely comfortable looking at myself in the mirror and seeing one arm would be a lie.

'I just had to trust in God and know that he had someone special for me.'

The pro surfer described her husband Adam as 'genuine, kind, fun, adventurous, easy going, friendly to all, passionate for Christ and just a great guy over all!'

The couple met on a beach in spring 2012, having been set up by friends on a blind date.

They announced their engagement 11 months after their first date, after Adam, 25, got down on one knee at Bethany's favourite beach.

Bethany's story of how she got back on the board after the shark attack became the subject of an inspirational book, 'Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board'.