Yumie Kouchi reached a turning point in her life at just 20 years old, when she was given two choices: being able to hear again or continuing to bodyboard.

Hearing impaired since she was 2 — Kouchi is deaf in her right ear and can slightly hear with her other ear using a hearing aid — she had the chance to have an artificial ear surgically implanted in her left ear. But doctors told her the device could not be immersed in water, so she would have to give up a sport that she loved.

Now 33 and a professional bodyboarder ranked 15th in the world, Kouchi has no regrets about her decision.

"She chose to live without the hearing, because she would rather not hear than not be able to bodyboard," said Kouchi's friend, Ayako Ancheta of Kahalu'u, who translated for Kouchi. Ancheta also is a professional bodyboarder.

Kouchi, from Chiba, Japan, is in Hawai'i to compete in the Rockstar Games Pipeline Pro, a professional bodyboarding competition that's in its holding period through Tuesday at Banzai Pipeline. The contest, the final event of the International Bodyboarding Association's 2006 world tour, attracts top male and female competitors worldwide.

Kouchi started bodyboarding when she was 18, after a friend introduced her to the sport in Japan.

"She fell in love with it," Ancheta said. "She's crazy about it."

That's why exercising and eating right are so important to Kouchi; staying fit only makes her better at what she does for a living.

That also means "no junk food, no alcohol, no tobacco," said the tanned Kouchi, who's only 5 feet tall.

A self-described nature lover, Kouchi finds motivation and solace while outdoors — especially in the ocean.

"The ocean is where she can be herself without being able to hear," Ancheta said. "... Bodyboarding is something that connects her to the ocean."

A frequent visitor to Hawai'i, Kouchi arrived early last month to prepare for the bodyboarding competition and has been enjoying every minute of her stay.

There is "so much nature here," Kouchi said in Japanese. "Hawai'i has so much power."

A Japanese television crew joined Kouchi on her trip to document the athlete during the contest. The popular show, "Jonetsu Tairiku," is known for sharing inspiring stories of talented Japanese individuals who have overcome various challenges to get to where they are today.

While growing up in Japan, Kouchi said she was bullied because of her hearing impairment, often fell behind in classes and was self-conscious because of her bulky hearing aid. Life wasn't easy, she said, until she discovered the ultimate escape — bodyboarding.

Today Kouchi doesn't let her hearing disability get in her way and hopes to share her story with as many people as possible.

"She doesn't think of it as a negative thing," Ancheta said. "She wants to appeal to the world that not being able to hear hasn't defected her life. It has actually enhanced it."

After completing the Pipeline Pro, Kouchi plans to return home and travel throughout Japan, promoting bodyboarding and motivating others to pursue their dreams, no matter what.

She also will begin training for the first competition of the International Bodyboarding Association's 2007 world tour, which will take place in April in Australia.

"She wants to show the world that whatever your dream is ... it could come true by working hard," Ancheta said.