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

Nazaré, Portugal Nazaré () is a Portugal, Portuguese town and municipality located in the Oeste Subregion, Oeste region, in the historical province of Estremadura Province (1936-1976), Estremadura, and in the Leiria District. The municipality has a population of 1 ...

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 British reference book published annually, list ...

'' 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 The ESPY Awards (short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Awards, and often referred to as the ESPYs) is an annual American awards show produced by ESPN since 1993, recognizing individual and team athletic achievement and other sports-r ...

for Best Female Action Sports Athlete.

Career

Gabeira started surfing at age 13 in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

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 language, Tahitian , ; ) is the largest island of the Windward Islands (Society Islands), Windward group of the Society Islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France. It is located in the central part of t ...

's Teahupoo. 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 Prison cell, cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably derives more from the Renaissance period. An o ...

, 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, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

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

Red Bull TV Red Bull TV is an online television channel owned by Red Bull GmbH. Programming content focuses on live events and shows related to sports, music, lifestyle, and culture. The channel runs long-format original programming series. Series include ' ...

showed Gabeira's returned to Nazaré after the accident. In January 2018, Gabeira surfed a wave in Nazare, recorded by ''

'' as the biggest wave surfed by a woman. In February 11, 2020, Gabeira set a new

Guinness World Record ''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 British reference book published annually, listi ...

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''. In 2022, she was named

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

Champion for Ocean and Youth.

Personal life

Gabeira is the daughter of

Fernando Gabeira Fernando Paulo Nagle Gabeira (; born 17 February 1941) is a Brazilian politician, author and journalist. He was a federal representative for the state of Rio de Janeiro from 1995 to 2011. He is known for his 1979 book ''O Que É Isso, Companhei ...

, 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 female surfers 1987 births World Surf League surfers Brazilian people of Lebanese descent Brazilian sportswomen Sportspeople of Lebanese descent Sportspeople from Rio de Janeiro (city) 21st-century Brazilian sportswomen