muse ; Maya Gabeira - Brazil

 

Maya Gabeira

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

Career highlights

In 2009, Gabeira won the ESPY award for Best Female Action Sports Athlete.^[1] Later that year, Gabeira surfed the biggest wave ever by a female when she successfully rode a 14 metres (46 ft) wave at Dungeons, a big-wave surf spot in South Africa.^[2]

In 2010, she was awarded with the Billabong Girls Best Overall Performance Award for a record four years in a row.^[3]

On October 28, 2013, Gabeira lost consciousness and nearly drowned while surfing a massive wave near Nazaré, Portugal, caused by the St Jude storm; she was saved by her fellow Brazilian big-wave surfer Carlos Burle, ending up in the hospital^[4][5]

Gabeira's current sponsors include Billabong and Red Bull.

Personal life

Gabeira's father is Fernando Gabeira, one of the founding members of the Green Party of Brazil. Her father is also a former member of a guerilla group responsible for the kidnapping of the US Ambassador in Brazil, Charles Elbrick, in 1969.^[6]

Maya Gabeira
Personal information
Born	Maya Reis Gabeira April 10, 1987 (age 28) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Residence	North Shore, Oahu, U.S.
Height	5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)
Weight	124 lb (56 kg)
Surfing career
Sponsors	Red Bull, Billabong
Major achievements	Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Award (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012), ESPY Award (Best Female Action Sports Athlete, 2009)