Special women's-only big-wave record!
It’s been five years since the Brazilian Maya Gabiera was squashed in what you might wanna call 70-foot waves. A busted tibia (lower part of the bone, near the ankle) and drowning was the price tag Maya paid for taking on the world’s creepiest wave.
When I called her the next day she’d just been released from hospital.
I’d asked what it feels like to drown.
“It’s really tough. But it gets peaceful when you black out. When you’re gone, you’re gone. And I knew before I was gone I knew that the only thing I could do was to try my very hardest to get as close as I could to the shore so Carlos could do his part. And I did my part and he did his part. That’s how we work. I try my best and when he sees me he’ll make sure he doesn’t lose my body.”
Now, after a short ride in January this year, Maya, who is the daughter of the anti-dictatorship revolutionary and one-time exile Fernando Gabeira, has been awarded a Guinness World record for “Largest wave surfed unlimited (female).”
From the WSL presser:
The 31-year old from Rio de Janeiro, Brasil successfully surfed a wave measuring 68 feet / 20.72 metres from trough to crest at the infamous big-wave break known as Praia do Norte in Nazaré, Portugal on January 18, 2018.
“To set the world record has been a dream of mine for many years,” said Gabeira. “But of course, after the accident in Nazaré 2013, it felt like a very distant dream. It took a lot of work to have a season like last year, to be 100% again, and to complete it with a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title is quite special.”
What’s wrong with the headline?
Well, doesn’t it seem, and let’s pull a buzz word out of the bag, a little sexist? That the good burghers at the Guinness Book of World Records deem the female of the species incapable of being towed into the same-sized wave as a man?
I mean, #runlikeagirl ain’t a pejorative anymore, am I right?
Or is it a selective thing and I failed to read the fine print?
Oh, and whomever is doin’ Maya’s wiki page might wanna fix the typo up. Getting towed into six-foot waves ain’t that special by anyone’s measure.
*Guiness World Record For Biggest Wave Ever Ridden By A Brazilian Carioca Woman Under 30
So if Gabs or Felipe win you will just break even…….unless the multi comes in. I think you have mis-proportioned your allocations there Derek. Just saying………unless you don’t think they will really win – which would then have me wondering why are you backing them at all? You will need to consider a more efficient allocation from your betting pool if you wish to turn those 5 c notes into many thousands. Just saying.
her credit would then go to dunning kruger
Ummm, if I’d said “balls”-then I’d be in the shit, well, if it wasn’t Beachgrit.
I was being overly PC with the ovaries reference, perhaps. Thanks for talking story! You’re starting to sound like a dream date!
So she’s basically a kook, BUT, because she has oversized ovaries and gets towed into massive waves, she deserves credit? Fuck that, a kook’s a kook’s a kook! Just shows the absolute low barrier to entry of tow surfing-as also demonstrated by the Russian kook at oversize Uluwatu.
Sounds like she can’t even surf unless she’s towed in, already standing up. Can she paddle in? Admittedly you probably couldn’t paddle that peak at that size, so it should be a sub sub category, biggest wave towed into and ridden by a women, but that seems bigoted against paddlers and women and the little waves I prefer?
i’ve spent some time with maya and to me she is a very cool person. she’s never claimed to be the best surfer in the world – in fact she said that it took her months to just learn how to stand up. but what she’s got is mad courage, determination, and mental strength, so fair play to her.
Yeah but she probably menstruated in the lineup.
That’s an utter sexist comment you made here, you clumsy bastard. I like it.
Yea, Time Magazine popped up on my phone with this story. Largest wave surfed by a woman? Really? Are we competing between genders? It’s getting so ridiculous that I’m almost offended lol. I won’t be brainwashed into identity politics through this constant pushing of women as some victimized subset of society.
In light of the (rightful) push towards gender equality, pay, prizemoney, opportunity, it does seem, to me, very odd to suddenly offer up a handicapped prize in a sport that requires nothing special in regards to strength, height and so on.
I wouldn’t even drive into the carpark that day never mind trying to ride a monster in that shifting lineup from Hell that nearly killed RCJ !
I went a few years ago to buy a pair of running shoes in Germany,and they make you run on a treadmill ,and the athletic woman selling the shoes informed me “THAT I RAN LIKE A GIRL ” and I am thinking f#ck I am about to spend €100+ Of my wife’s hard earned money on a pair of shoes and this woman is insulting me but possibly it was a compliment ? I had just done a summer season in a mate’s surfshop but it never entered my mind even in my wildest dreams to inform the most impolite overweight unathletic customer , “ that no matter how much money you spend or whatever board you ride or wetsuit you wear you will probably spend years fumbling in the foam about 10 ft from shore LIKE A WALRUS ! “ ?
I tried buying shoes when I was in Abu Dhabi. When I requested size 13, the clerk looked at me like I was a cursed man burdened by a lot in life that no Bedouin could relate to. I went to 4-5 stores and none of them had shoes in my size. The clerks had the same reaction each time. I grew concerned that the populace may gather with torches lit and drive me out of town.
I had no idea the Bedouin had pixie feet.
Is a shoe size under 9 in./42 euro pixie?
I’m pretty sure that’s flirting in GER.
None of my friends own a jet ski so yes it would be special.
Getting towed into 6 foot waves is pretty special if you’re from the Gold coast.
Getting a wave of any size ,alone, on the Gold Coast could be pretty special if it was possible ?
Real question is: can she paddle?
has she been in any of the womens big wave paddle events?
Biggest Shoulder hop to get engulfed?
Respect she has a go, but she also sounds sketchy as fuk.
Brave lady though – amazing that she is willing to die and hope to be resuscitated for this shit.
that is a very long-winded department, dude.
idk i’m fine with it. she can have the guiness book thingy. why not make even more categories? seems alright.
Beach Grit deserves a Guinness Record for that billboard!
Category ideas?
“Cheapest FUNded Surf Print Character, Revealy Loosed Large Medium”?
Yesssss this seems good. Best graphic nose-thumb at authority? Hmm, needs work maybe.
The beauty is in its long-windedness!
I am dumb and had to read it more than twice.
You are…so…not dumb. God!
Somedays, you know? Oof.
I once nearly drowned in 10′ waves. If I claim it first does that count?
Seriously though, while I recognise it’s a fair effort, I’m not sure you should be able to claim a wave that consumes you.
She should get the record for largest wave body surfed as well. Either way, I’m attracted to Maya so she can do no wrong in my eyes. If it was Laird’s misso I’d have much more negative shit to say.
What is it because your not attracted to Laird?
she rode out of it, otherwise it wouldn’t count
I know it looks like she didn’t but other videos of the wave show it, I’m just a little occupied with other stuff right now to search. But you’ll find them if you try
Women have evolved to be able to have their cake and eat it too.
Nothing like geoengineering mankind, been done for thousands of years