Sep 24 2020
RED BULL Brazil big wave surfer Maya Gabeira.
Brazil surfer Maya Gabeira has extended her women’s world record and beaten the men to win the award for the biggest wave ridden this year.
The wave measured 73.5 feet and was ridden at the Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal, on February 11.
NEW RECORD: Largest wave surfed - unlimited (female) - 73.5 foot (22.4 metres). Congratulations to Brazil's Maya Gabeira 🌊🏄🏻♀️
🎥 @wsl / Pedro Miranda pic.twitter.com/I71oqKYadS— GuinnessWorldRecords (@GWR) September 10, 2020
It was officially ratified scientifically for the Guinness World Records by wave engineers and scientists with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of Southern California Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.
It was also acknowledged at the World Surf League’s annual big wave awards this month.
Importantly, it also edged the 70-foot effort by top men’s big wave rider Kai Lenny of Hawaii for the overall WSL award.
“Although I say I'm not a competitive person, I was very in the zone and braver than I usually am on this day," Gabeira, 33, said of the tow-in ride that earned her the double honour.
"I was risking more than I usually like to do. When I let go of the rope, I had a feeling it could be the one but wasn't sure. The speed was very high but the noise that the wave made when it broke made me realise that this was probably the biggest wave I'd ever ridden.
"This world record really strikes me as quite amazing because the size of the wave was measured taller than the men's size for the winner, so it means a woman actually rode the biggest wave of the year overall.
"That was something I had dreamed of years ago but not as something realistic. There was no representation for me to believe that it was possible but to see that happen is incredible. This is seen as an extremely male-dominated sport, so to have a woman be able to represent that is quite rare."
Gabeira has had to overcome her demons and some criticism from male surfers to regain her place in the top echelon of big wave surfing.
In 2013, Gabeira wiped out on a 50-foot wave at the same location. After being held under water for an alarming amount of time, she surfaced to grab a tow-rope from a rescuer on a jet ski. But she was dragged to the beach face down and there were fears for her life when she reached shore.
RED BULL
Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira has a long history with the dangerous Nazare wave in Portugal.
She needed CPR to recover and the wipeout had also snapped her right fibula and herniated a disk in her lower back.
She needed three back surgeries to get over the injury that sidelined her for several years, costing her valuable sponsorships.
Her Hawaiian rival Paige Alms was stoked to see Gabeira edge the men for the award.
“I think it’s really important for the next generation of girls growing up to see women accomplishing these things,” Alms, 32, told the New York Times.
“You can only really dream as big as what you can see.”
Alms noted the disparities between the men and women in this dangerous category of surfing.
“Of the top 10 big wave women in the world, there’s three getting paid,” Alms said.
“The top 10 male big wave surfers own homes, travel year-round and bring their families with them.”
RED BULL Brazil big wave surfer Maya Gabeira.
Brazil surfer Maya Gabeira has extended her women’s world record and beaten the men to win the award for the biggest wave ridden this year.
The wave measured 73.5 feet and was ridden at the Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal, on February 11.
NEW RECORD: Largest wave surfed - unlimited (female) - 73.5 foot (22.4 metres). Congratulations to Brazil's Maya Gabeira 🌊🏄🏻♀️
🎥 @wsl / Pedro Miranda pic.twitter.com/I71oqKYadS— GuinnessWorldRecords (@GWR) September 10, 2020
It was officially ratified scientifically for the Guinness World Records by wave engineers and scientists with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and the University of Southern California Department of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering.
It was also acknowledged at the World Surf League’s annual big wave awards this month.
Importantly, it also edged the 70-foot effort by top men’s big wave rider Kai Lenny of Hawaii for the overall WSL award.
“Although I say I'm not a competitive person, I was very in the zone and braver than I usually am on this day," Gabeira, 33, said of the tow-in ride that earned her the double honour.
"I was risking more than I usually like to do. When I let go of the rope, I had a feeling it could be the one but wasn't sure. The speed was very high but the noise that the wave made when it broke made me realise that this was probably the biggest wave I'd ever ridden.
"This world record really strikes me as quite amazing because the size of the wave was measured taller than the men's size for the winner, so it means a woman actually rode the biggest wave of the year overall.
"That was something I had dreamed of years ago but not as something realistic. There was no representation for me to believe that it was possible but to see that happen is incredible. This is seen as an extremely male-dominated sport, so to have a woman be able to represent that is quite rare."
Gabeira has had to overcome her demons and some criticism from male surfers to regain her place in the top echelon of big wave surfing.
In 2013, Gabeira wiped out on a 50-foot wave at the same location. After being held under water for an alarming amount of time, she surfaced to grab a tow-rope from a rescuer on a jet ski. But she was dragged to the beach face down and there were fears for her life when she reached shore.
RED BULL
Brazilian surfer Maya Gabeira has a long history with the dangerous Nazare wave in Portugal.
She needed CPR to recover and the wipeout had also snapped her right fibula and herniated a disk in her lower back.
She needed three back surgeries to get over the injury that sidelined her for several years, costing her valuable sponsorships.
Her Hawaiian rival Paige Alms was stoked to see Gabeira edge the men for the award.
“I think it’s really important for the next generation of girls growing up to see women accomplishing these things,” Alms, 32, told the New York Times.
“You can only really dream as big as what you can see.”
Alms noted the disparities between the men and women in this dangerous category of surfing.
“Of the top 10 big wave women in the world, there’s three getting paid,” Alms said.
“The top 10 male big wave surfers own homes, travel year-round and bring their families with them.”
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