Maya Gabeira

Maya Gabeira (born April 10, 1987, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) is a Brazilian surfer who was one of the best-known figures in her sport in the early 21st century. She was noted for her achievements in big-wave surfing, in which surfers attempt to ride the largest waves possible. In 2020 Gabeira broke her own world record for the largest wave ever surfed by a woman when she rode a wave at Nazaré, Portugal, that measured 22.4 metres (73.5 feet) tall.

Gabeira was the daughter of politician Fernando Gabeira, a founding member of Brazil’s Green Party, and Yamê Reis, a fashion designer. Maya was initially interested in ballet, but at age 14 she turned her attention to surfing after beginning to ride the waves at Arpoador Beach in Rio. Three years later she moved to Hawaii to pursue the sport. She first tried big-wave surfing at Waimea Bay on Oahu’s North Shore, a spot long known as a mecca for surfers. Her talent at navigating giant waves began to attract notice. By age 20 she had received sponsorships from major companies to surf professionally.

In addition to Waimea Bay, Gabeira tackled the waves at such renowned surfing destinations as Bahía de Todos Santos in northwestern Mexico, Mavericks in northern California, and Dungeons in Cape Town, South Africa. To catch larger waves she became experienced at tow-in surfing, which allows surfers to reach waves that are more than 9 metres (30 feet) tall. The technique involves a big-wave rider being towed into a wave by a partner on a Jet Ski or other motorized craft. Gabeira’s surfing soon brought her widespread recognition. She first won best female performance at the Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards in 2007. She went on to win the category four out of the next five years (2008–10, 2012). At the 2009 ESPY Awards she was named best female action sports athlete.

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In 2013 Gabeira started to surf at Nazaré, where a deep submarine canyon located just off the shore helps produce extremely high waves at certain times, some topping 30 metres (100 feet). Big-wave surfers had begun to popularize the location only a couple of years earlier. Gabeira was the first female professional surfer to chase the waves at Nazaré. On October 28, 2013, she almost drowned after wiping out on a massive wave off Praia do Norte, one of Nazaré’s beaches. She lost consciousness but was rescued by her tow-in partner, fellow Brazilian Carlos Burle. Gabeira suffered a broken fibula in the accident. She also had to undergo back surgery during the long recovery that followed. She was undeterred by the experience, however. In 2015 she relocated from Hawaii to Portugal and established Nazaré as her base. On January 18, 2018, Gabeira successfully navigated a wave measuring 20.7 metres (68 feet) tall at Praia do Norte. The feat was later confirmed as a world-record ride for female surfers by Guinness World Records on October 1.

Gabeira improved on that record when professional surfing’s governing body, the World Surf League, staged its first Nazaré Tow Surfing Challenge in February 2020. One of just two women invited to participate in the event, Gabeira broke her previous record by 1.7 metres (5.5 feet) on February 11. The 22.4-metre (73.5-foot) wave she conquered that day was the largest surfed by anyone, male or female, in 2020. Her achievement marked the first time in the history of the sport that the biggest wave of the year had been ridden by a woman. Gabeira’s pursuit to ride the big waves at Nazaré and her struggle against chauvinism in a male-dominated sport were captured in the documentary film Maya and the Wave (2022).