Maya Reis Gabeira (born April 10, 1987) is a Brazilian big wave surfer. She is best known for having surfed a high wave in

Nazaré, Portugal Nazaré () is a Portuguese town and municipality located in the Oeste region, in the historical province of Estremadura, and in the Leiria District. The municipality has a population of 14,889 in an area of 82.43 km2, while the town itself h ...

in February 2020, recorded by ''

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' as the biggest wave ever surfed by a woman. She also held the previous record for biggest wave ever surfed by a woman, of established in January 2018. Gabeira has received numerous accolades including the

ESPY award An ESPY Award (short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award) is an accolade currently presented by the American broadcast television network ABC, and previously ESPN (as of the 2017 ESPY Awards the latter still airs them in the for ...

for Best Female Action Sports Athlete and is the best female surfers in the world as well as one of the most influential female surfers of all time.

Career

Gabeira started surfing at age 13 in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...

and started competing at 15 years old. In 2004 she decided to become a professional at 17 while living in Australia and moved to Hawaii that same year to surf world class waves. She quickly emerged as the world's top female big-wave surfer, winning global championships surfing challenging spots like Mavericks, Waimea, Todos Santos, and South Africa's shark-infested "Dungeons". She has won the '' Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards'' for four consecutive times (2007 to 2010) in the Best Female Performance category. In 2008, she became the first woman to surf big waves in Alaska. Gabeira also became the first woman to surf California's Ghost Trees and

Tahiti Tahiti (; Tahitian ; ; previously also known as Otaheite) is the largest island of the Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia. It is located in the central part of the Pacific Ocean and the nearest major landmass is Austra ...

Teahupoo Teahupoo () is a village on the southwestern coast of the island of Tahiti, French Polynesia, in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is known for the surf break and heavy, glassy waves offshore, often reaching , and sometimes up to . It is the site of ...

. In 2009, Gabeira won the

for Best Female Action Sports Athlete. Later that year, Gabeira surfed the biggest wave ever by a woman when she successfully rode a wave at

Dungeons A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette (from ...

, a big-wave surf spot in South Africa. In 2010, she got the 2010 Teen Choice Award for Best Female Action Sports Star. In 2012, she was awarded the XXL Big Wave Awards for Girls Best Overall Performance for the 5th time. She also appeared in the ESPN The Body Issue that same year. On October 28, 2013, Gabeira lost consciousness and nearly drowned while surfing a massive wave at Praia do Norte, Nazaré,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

; she was saved by her fellow Brazilian big-wave surfer Carlos Burle. She had to be revived on the beach and later ended up in the hospital. In 2016 the documentary ''Return to Nazaré'' by

Red Bull TV Red Bull TV is a global multi-platform channel owned by Red Bull GmbH, distributed digitally on connected TVs, smartphones, tablets, and on its website. The channel is available globally. Programming is in English (with optional subtitles and clos ...

shows how Maya Gabeira returned to Nazaré after having suffered the accident surfing on the same beach in 2013. It is the portrait of a struggle to overcome obstacles, both physical and mental. In January 2018 Gabeira surfed a wave in Nazare, PT, recorded by ''

'' as the biggest wave surfed by a woman. Gabeira has been nominated twice for the

Laureus World Sports Award for Action Sportsperson of the Year The Laureus World Sports Award for Action Sportsperson of the Year, known as the Alternative Sportsperson of the Year prior to 2007, is an annual award honouring the achievements of individual athletes from the world of action sports. It was firs ...

, in 2014 and in 2019. She is one of the highest paid big wave surfers on the planet. Gabeira is sponsored by

Billabong Billabong ( ) is an Australian term for an oxbow lake, an isolated pond left behind after a river changes course. Billabongs are usually formed when the path of a creek or river changes, leaving the former branch with a dead end. As a result ...

and Red bull and currently lives in

North Shore (Oahu) The North Shore, in the context of geography of the Island of Oahu, refers to the north-facing coastal area of Oahu between Kaena Point and Kahuku. The largest settlement is Haleiwa. This area is best known for its massive waves, attracting surfe ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only state ...

in the United States. In February 11, 2020, Gabeira set a new Guinness World Record for the ''Largest wave surfed (unlimited) - female''. It was held in '' WSL Nazaré Tow Surfin'' contest and the wave measured . The wave was also the biggest wave surfed by anyone that year. She is the subject of the 2022 documentary film ''

Maya and the Wave ''Maya and the Wave'' is an American documentary film, directed by Stephanie Johnes and released in 2022. The film is a portrait of surfer Maya Gabeira and her struggles to be taken seriously as a woman in a male-dominated sport, focusing in par ...

''.

Personal life

Gabeira is the daughter of

Fernando Gabeira Fernando Paulo Nagle Gabeira (; born February 17, 1941) is a Brazilian politician, author and journalist. He was a federal deputy for the State of Rio de Janeiro from 1995 to 2011. He is best known for his book ''O que é isso, companheiro?'' ...

, one of the founding members of the Green Party of Brazil. Her father is the son of Lebanese immigrants. Her mother, Yamê Reis, is a Brazilian fashion designer.

References

External links

Maya Gabeira - Official Home Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gabeira, Maya Living people Brazilian surfers 1987 births Female surfers World Surf League surfers Brazilian people of Lebanese descent Brazilian sportswomen Sportspeople of Lebanese descent Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (city)