Surf
On a 70-foot wave, Maya Gabiera looks like an ant. With a wave that’s the size of an industrial parking garage, you can hardly see her. Most often, the trailing spray flying off her board is what becomes first visible, and then you can make out her small, shadowy figure speeding down the wave that’s curling up toward the sky, its giant jaws lurching forward, trying to devour her whole. At peak velocity, she is moving at the same speed as a car on the highway—up to 50 miles per hour. Chop from the wave at that speed can be bone-breaking if it hits the board wrong. On the biggest waves in the world, the room for consequence is zero. If she falls it’s going to be terrible, if not deadly.
Big-wave surfing tests courage, hard-earned skill, and sheer willpower against the ocean’s raw force. Maya Gabiera has spent over a decade defying odds and pushing the limits on the planet’s most dangerous waves. From the heavy, churning swells of Brazil, where she first cut her teeth on a surfboard, to the towering, treacherous waves of Nazaré, Portugal, Gabeira has carved out a legacy as the world’s best female big-wave surfer. She’s the queen of a sport that’s long been dominated by men, but the tides are finally turning. Her rise to the top of the surfing world isn’t just a personal triumph; it’s also a story of breaking barriers and challenging the sport’s long-standing norms. Even with the risks of surfing the world’s most monstrous waves, Gabeira’s career has been driven by her relentless pursuit of greatness. But while she continues to dominate this high-risk sport, she’s also taken on a new and surprising challenge: writing children’s books.
Maya Gabeira is a 37-year-old big-wave surfer from Rio de Janeiro; she is 5 feet, 6 inches tall with an athletic build shaped by years of surfing, sun-bronzed skin, and dark, wind-tousled hair with streaks of golden blonde. Her bright brown eyes and calm, laid-back attitude reflect a certain strength that can only be forged from years spent in an arena—in Gabiera’s case, the ocean. Her love affair with the sea began when she was just 14, surfing the challenging but not massive waves of her hometown. While the waves in Brazil aren’t particularly huge, they’re heavy, making them perfect for a young surfer eager to master the sport. By 17, her passion had taken her all the way to the North Shore of Hawaii, a legendary spot for surfers worldwide. Amidst the powerful waves and vibrant surf culture, Gabeira found her true passion for big-wave surfing. The North Shore is where surfers go to prove themselves, and for Gabeira, it became the testing ground that shaped a remarkable career.
Her love for the world’s largest waves was not without its costs. Everything in action sports has a price; the bigger the feat, the more deadly the consequence. In 2013, Gabeira nearly lost her life while surfing a gigantic wave at Praia do Norte in Nazaré, a location infamous for producing some of the largest waves ever surfed and 10 minutes away from her home. The wave’s chop, moving at immense speed, broke her ankle and knocked her unconscious, a terrifying experience that could have ended her career—or worse. “You live and you learn,” she reflects. “It was a huge learning curve for me. Today I see Nazaré in a completely different way. I surf much safer today even though we surf bigger waves.” This near-death experience was a turning point for Gabeira, forcing her to reevaluate her approach to the sport. It deepened her respect for the ocean and instilled in her a more strategic and safety-oriented mindset.
Despite the trauma of the 2013 accident, Gabeira’s determination only grew stronger. Four years later, in 2017, she returned to Nazaré, the very place that had nearly claimed her life, and set a world record for the largest wave ever surfed by a woman—a 68-foot behemoth that would have been a career-defining moment for any surfer. But Gabeira wasn’t finished. In 2020, she broke her own record by surfing an even larger wave at the same location, this time measuring 73.5 feet. It was accomplishments like these that cemented her as the best in her field. “It was something I had to overcome if I wanted to continue surfing big waves. It’s about not giving up, I guess,” she mused, calmly reflecting on her journey back to the top.
The physical and mental demands of riding such colossal waves are immense. Gabeira’s preparation is nothing short of grueling. Her training regimen is rigorous, involving intense sessions in the gym, pool, and ocean. She works on her breath-holding capacity, practices high-stress underwater intervals, and conditions her body to withstand the punishing conditions of big-wave surfing. “In Nazaré, you take a lot of waves on the head, so it’s more about stamina than anything,” she explains. The relentless nature of the sport requires her to be in peak physical condition, with every part of her training designed to maximize endurance and resilience. Gabeira’s training also includes mountain biking and wind-foiling, a sport that combines windsurfing and hydrofoil surfing, allowing her to glide above the water’s surface. This variety keeps her sharp and physically prepared for the demands of big-wave surfing.
Her intense preparation is not just physical but mental as well. Gabeira approaches big-wave surfing with a focus and discipline that borders on the meditative. She describes the days leading up to a big swell as a time for getting her head in the zone, developing a routine that helps her stay centered and ready. On the morning of a big surf, she channels all her preparation into action, allowing her instincts to take over once she’s in the water. “Then you can be present and just enjoy it,” she says.
But even with all this preparation, the risks are real. The tragic death of Brazilian big-wave legend Márcio Freire in January 2023 was a stark reminder of the sport’s inherent dangers. Freire, a pioneer in big-wave surfing, died while surfing at Nazaré’s Praia do Norte, the very spot where Gabeira set her records. Freire’s death, during a tow-in session where surfers are pulled into waves by jet skis, showed the world just how risky big-wave surfing can be. Despite immediate rescue efforts, Freire could not be revived, and his passing was a significant loss to the surfing community. Gabeira, reflecting on the risks, maintains a clear-eyed perspective: “I don’t go out there if I feel like I’m going to die. There’s always another day. There’s always another swell. There’s always another wave.”
Her first foray into children’s literature resulted in the book Maya and the Beast in 2022, a story inspired by her own experiences with the ocean and her bond with the waves of Nazaré. This book introduces young readers to the thrill and beauty of the ocean through the eyes of a young girl named Maya, who learns to face her fears and respect the power of the sea. Gabeira’s storytelling evolved further with her second book, Maya Makes Waves, which she debuted in August. Tailored for children aged 4 to 8, this book follows a young girl discovering the ocean through her encounters with various sea creatures. More than just an adventure, it’s a gentle introduction to environmentalism, revealing the impact of pollution on the ocean and its inhabitants. “It was a fun, interesting process for me,” Gabeira says. “It demanded more creativity than my first book, which was mostly my own personal story. This one I felt more free to create.”
The book captures the beauty and fragility of the ocean, with vivid descriptions that bring an underwater world to life. The coral reef, also known as the rainforest of the sea, reminded Maya of flowers. Blue, green, purple, red…so many colors and shapes! (Though lately, she had also noticed that some parts of the coral were whitening and seemed less alive—she wondered why), reads an excerpt from the book, touching on the delicate balance between the ocean’s beauty and the environmental destruction it currently faces.
Gabeira’s writing is deeply influenced by her love for nature and her desire to foster a similar appreciation in young readers. “Nature and surfing are necessary for writing,” she says, drawing a direct line between her experiences on the waves and the creative inspiration that fuels her stories. Writing, she explains, has become a way for her to connect with children, share her passion for the ocean, and inspire the next generation to care for the planet. “It connects me with them. And it connects them with the ocean hopefully,” she reflects.
The writing process, however, is far from easy. Gabeira describes her routine as one of discipline and focus, much like her approach to surfing. She spends her mornings walking her dogs on the trails behind her house near Nazaré, using the time to think about her books and develop her ideas. Her writing often takes place in Indonesia, where she retreats for a month or two each year after the big-wave season ends in Portugal, using the peaceful tropical environment to put her concepts into words. “I like to take months to go surfing and then write,” she says.
Currently, Gabeira is working on a young adult book, an autobiography that traces her journey from a young surfer in Brazil to a world record-breaking athlete. Set to be published next year, this book will offer a deeper look into the experiences that have shaped her, including her struggles in a male-dominated sport. “Being the minority is different. We didn’t have a lot of opportunity or contests. It was a sport of hard access,” she says as she reflects on the challenges she faced early in her career. The sexism in big-wave surfing was palpable, with women’s failures and accidents often viewed more harshly than those of their male counterparts. It wasn’t until a concerted effort by female surfers like Gabeira, who even had to petition to have the world record for the biggest wave surfed by a woman recognized due to the lack of an official category, that women’s achievements in the sport began to receive the recognition they deserved.
Gabeira’s wisdom for aspiring female surfers is simple yet profound. “Enjoy yourself, enjoy the ocean, respect the ocean, train hard, and believe in yourself—we are the only ones who know our limits and how deep we can dig. A lot of times we are the only ones believing in ourselves.” Her journey, from nearly losing her life to breaking world records, and now to writing children’s books, is a testament to the ability to build from the ground up, as she herself says.
On the day I spoke with Gabiera, she had just returned from Indonesia, jet-lagged but already back to her disciplined routine. She had taken her two dogs on a 50-minute hike with a weighted vest, completed her two training sessions, conducted other interviews, and was preparing for another trip to the Maldives in 10 days. The big-wave season in Nazaré is exciting, to say the least, but she still needs some time in the tropics every year to just chill, she tells me. Even with her packed schedule, she carves out the time to share her passions—whether it’s surfing, environmental advocacy, or her new journey as an author. And if her approach to writing is anything like her approach to surfing, it’s clear that she’s going to give it everything she’s got.
