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Maya taming a Nazaré monster on a day that almost killed her. Photo: Red Bull
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She's not just a pretty face. Maya's paid her dues: in October, 2008, she shattered her nose while pulling into a barrel. Photo: Red Bull
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This was the incredibly intense scene from the lighthouse as Maya Gabeira was carried up the beach unconscious. "It gets peaceful when you black out. When you're gone, you're gone," she said in an interview with Red Bull. Photo: Mark Wengler
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August, 2009. Maya at Dungeons, on one of her many XXL entries. This one netted her the biggest wave ridden by a woman. Photo: Red Bull
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Just another day in the waiting room. Maya on her way to do something dangerous. Photo: Red Bull
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Looking for it in Hawaii. Gabeira did a photo shoot in Hawaii for ESPN's Body Issue. "It was pretty weird to surf naked," she told ESPN. "It was hard to focus. I was feeling self-conscious and trying to control something that was uncontrollable."Photo: Red Bull/Brian Bielmann
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It's probably time to strip that wax. Photo: Red Bull
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Maya's relationship with Teahupoo is a long one. Photo: Red Bull
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Maya Gabeira: 5'6", 125 lbs... Brazilian Hell Woman. Photo: Red Bull
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Maya taming a Tahitian beast. She's no stranger to the danger here – a horrendous 2007 wipeout got her in the nomination books for Billabong's XXL Wipeout Award. Photo: Red Bull
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Gabeira was born with asthma, but she doesn't let that phase her. "But I was born out of breath, and that’s my struggle since then. It’s a sensation I’ve had since I was really young, and I’ve dealt with it. I don’t panic when I’m underwater." Photo: Red Bull/ Brian Bielmann
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"To recover from bad wipeouts mentally, though, you need time. You try and take some lessons out of it – there’s always mistakes or risks I should maybe not have taken. But you can’t have control over everything: it’s mother nature." – Interview with Red Bull. Photo: Red Bull
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The waiting game. "When can I surf again?” Maya's first question after every injury. Photo: Red Bull
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Surfing Girls Only. After a hard week of training in the Red Bull Surfing Girls Only in Peru, Sofia, Sally, Nadja and Maya left their boards on the side for a day to play a different role than other surfing. Photo: Red Bull
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Maya and the boys, amid the chaos. Photo: Red Bull
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In 2011, after battling a serious viral strain, Maya lost 10 lbs in 10 days. In the middle of it all, she surfed giant Teahupoo. "I spent the whole morning in the hospital, went home for lunch and threw up, like, seven times, and came back." Photo: Red Bull
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Smile for the camera. Maya's infectious smile is impossible not to love. This was shot by Terry Richardson in New York City. Maya Gabeira, Ashley Fiolek, Robbie Maddison, Louie Vito and Julian Wilson were among those posing for Terry's camera. Photo: Red Bull/Terry Richardson
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Maya Gabeira, Off The Wall. Photo: Megan Villa
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Soft light at Seal Beach. Photo: Red Bull
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Although this isn't one of them, Maya's favorite new toy is a balsa wood board. "I was a bit skeptical about riding a board that wasn’t made with traditional materials, but I absolutely love it. It’s so much fun to ride on smaller days, and it feels good to use something that is actually environmental friendly." Photo: Red Bull/Carlos Serrao
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Surf check from the cliff. Between 2007 and 2010, Maya took home 4 XXL Awards. In 2012, she took home another one. There's probably many more in her future. Photo: Red Bull
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Maya and Blacks, San Diego. Photo: Red Bull
After Maya Gabeira’s near-drowning in Portugal, the world sat up in their seats to take a closer look at the girl who tames monsters.
On Monday, a storm called the “St. Jude’s Storm” blew in from the Atlantic and ran directly into Maya and a crew of wild men. Maya’s tow partner, Carlos Burle, towed her into behemoth of a left. She hit a few bumps, getting more air with each hit as her speed increased. While even she doesn’t know for sure, it looks as though her ankle broke on the third bump – and that’s where the trouble really started. After two hold downs, a third blew out her life jacket and dragged her deep down. With little-to-no air in her lungs, she struggled to the surface, where Burle was frantically searching for her. He found her once, but wasn’t able to get her on the back of the ski. Instead, Gabeira grabbed the rope and hung on for as long as she could. Eventually, though, she blacked out and let go. When her partner found her again, he leaped off and grabbed her lifeless body, pulled her through the pounding shore break, started CPR on her, and saved her life. Then he turned around and rode what might be the biggest wave ever ridden.
Maya’s an interesting woman. Unlike most other professional surfers, she didn’t grow up surfing. When she was 17, she travelled from her native Brazil to Hawaii, and fell in love with surfing. Since then, the 26-year-old has amassed five Billabong XXL Global Big Wave Awards and an ESPY that named her the best female action-sports athlete. She also lays claim to the biggest wave ever ridden by a woman: forty-five feet (Dungeons, South Africa), which, from the looks of it, is much smaller than the wave that nearly took her life on October 28th. She’s faced adversity from the ocean and critics alike, but one thing is for sure: the brown-eyed girl from Brazil will undoubtably paddle out again. And I can’t wait to see it.
