Big-wave star and two-time Guinness World Record holder Maya Gabeira told to quit by surfing legend Kelly Slater; blames tow-partner Carlos Burle for near-death episode at Nazaré; says sexism in surfing made her bald! “It made me sad, broke my heart… hair fell out in blocks!”

Kelly writes, "I think if you continue to do what you're doing, you're gonna die. So I highly suggest you stop."

The Brazilian big-wave chaser Maya Gabeira has made a raft of stunning accusations on an upcoming episode of In Depth with Graham Bensinger, which airs this Sunday. 

Gabeira, who is thirty-four, is noted for a few things, winning a couple of gongs from the Guinness Book of World Records for biggest wave ridden by a gal, busting a leg and drowning (revived!) at Nazaré, getting belted to within an inch of her life at big Teahupoo, and being the daughter of a Brazilian revolutionary whose group famously kidnapped the US ambassador. 

In the interview with Bensinger, Gabeira reveals a DM from Kelly where he tells her she is gonna die real soon unless she cools it in big waves.

“Kelly felt like he saw me almost dying in Tahiti on a huge, huge, huge day… He felt very convicted that I was out of place… He thought it was too big for him or he wanted to save himself for a competition, but it was probably the biggest ever surfed in Teahupoʻo. So, with that said, maybe it was too big for me. I was very scared, I can tell you. And things did go wrong…”

And the DM?

“I wasn’t, like, ‘Yay, can’t wait to see what it is!’ I was like, ‘Fuck [this] can’t be any good’ …  He said something on the lines of, ‘You are unprepared. You are endangering people around you when they have to go in and rescue in such scenarios. I think if you continue to do what you’re doing, you’re gonna die. So I highly suggest you stop.’

Maya Gabeira: Not talking to Laird Hamilton, Kelly Slater after criticism

When she got her stilt snapped at Nazaré and had to be revived on the beach, Laird said she “didn’t have the skill to be surfing in those conditions.”

Bensinger asks if she has a desire to reconnect with Slater, Hamilton.

“No, I’m okay with it. I really am. They had their points. They could have been more fortunate the way that they passed it on to me, but it was a different era too. It was a different time.I think women were treated differently back then and it was OK.It wasn’t as discussed, our role and our place in society. I think a lot has changed and it was what it was. It made me who I am, so I’m okay with it.”

Maya Gabeira: Not talking to Laird Hamilton, Kelly Slater after criticism

When it comes to Carlos Burle, Gabeira and her current tow-bro German Seb Steudtner blame him for her near-death episode at Nazaré. 

“I was so caught in the relationship. He was so above what I could criticize that at the time him going out felt natural. I supported him. I wouldn’t right now, but that’s how important he was to me,” says Gabeira.

Maya Gabeira on the wipeout that nearly killed her

The bald thing happened when the WSL didn’t include her in the big-wave awards.

“I went to the awards in April in California and they never show[ed] my wave. I was like, ‘Where’s my wave? What the f*** am I doing here? I think around three or four months later I realized that it was going nowhere and that’s when I had the idea of doing something public and that would be the petition… I needed some support, exposure. With that, I also decided to retire. Because who was gonna petition against their own sport league and not retire, right? I’m gonna go out and I’m gonna say all those things about them and say how incapable they are and how they have prejudice or whatever… It made me sad, broke my heart and I lost hair over it. I had blocks of hair fall out of my head. So I could tell the stress was getting to me.”

Maya Gabeira: Pressuring WSL to recognize women surfers

 

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Jaumet Verdaux
Jaumet Verdaux
5 years ago

I think that Kelly’s main concern is that she knows that someone will come to her rescue, no matter what the conditions are. I mean, I would go in like an idiot if I saw her floating face down in the water… and die. I seriously doubt that anyone would just say “Screw it, let her die… that will teach her!”

J H
J H
5 years ago

Except for the fact that she finished the wave floating face down, you mean?

Roksteddie
Roksteddie
5 years ago

Trigger-bait for insecure males.. Ok, she did not have to mention the personal conversation she had with Kelly, she milks it for what it is but he was right, she kooked it (till she made it). But she says she is cool with it, end of. Judge her for what she does, i reckon.

Roksteddie
Roksteddie
5 years ago

I’d tell that kook to go home, too.. & Kelly can send anyone home, especially discretely in dm.. Wanna hang with the big boys, prepare to be put in your place.

grumpy local
grumpy local
5 years ago

pretty sure Laird was just afraid her period would attract sharks

Beef & Beer
Beef & Beer
5 years ago

Right here on BG, whenever the subject of fuckwits comes up.
(though if ya send me ya bank account details I can lecture anytime, anywhere for your ‘pre-withdrawn’ fee)

Barrelled
Barrelled
5 years ago

Going out on a limb here, but feeling like all the shit below written in support of her come from either Brazzos, chicks, or Brazzo chicks. Just sayin.

Wilbur
Wilbur
5 years ago

That’s a hell of a flop! She just shot off the top of the wave huh?

Howling Jack
Howling Jack
5 years ago

is there proof of the missing hair, or is it like, ” I’ve been tearing my hair out ! ” or was it a subliminal reference to KS’s scalp ? all so intriguing, from Maya, who charges, but can’t convert

Jordy's pout
Jordy's pout
5 years ago
Jordy's pout
Jordy's pout
5 years ago
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Jordy's pout
Jordy's pout
5 years ago
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Jordy's pout
Jordy's pout
5 years ago
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Nonagon_Infinity
Nonagon_Infinity
5 years ago

Duty of care?

notsurfingtoday
notsurfingtoday
5 years ago

What a dick. Wonder if kelly sends these paternalistic care messages to all the boys/men/males/dicks n balls surfing the same waves she does. He must have sent a myspace message to laird hamilton when he rode the wave of the millenniumTM ‘Hey Laird, you’re putting yourself in danger, don t do it etc etc’

Barrelled
Barrelled
5 years ago

Okay Mater

Yomar
Yomar
5 years ago

Wow, crazy chicks in big wave surfing! This is a great story about Maya, sounds as whacky as they come. Another intriguing one for me would be Jamilah Starr, who also feels extremely unfairly treated by organised surfing. On the other side there are so many water women like Justine DuPont, Laura Enever, Izzy Gomez surfing great in everything, incl. big waves setting a positive example.
Beachgrit is perfect for more stories on the crazy surfing chicks out there.

nyc surfing golden boy
nyc surfing golden boy
5 years ago
Reply to  Yomar

jamailah star has a nice rack

Yomar
Yomar
5 years ago

So she’s a beautiful, hot red bull sponsored female athlete surfer charging big waves –
but do the gender test –
how would her big wave surfing story come across if she was just an ordinary bloke?

Barrelled
Barrelled
5 years ago
Reply to  Yomar

There would be no story here in that case. If she were a guy she would never have found a tow partner because she is incompetent in waves of consequence. Burle and the German are likely helping her to further their own following. They are all fucked I’d say.

Cave dweller
Cave dweller
5 years ago
Reply to  Barrelled

My uncle who has a house at sunset has some nuts stories about her doing super dangerous stunts all over the north shore. Have been out while she was towing with Carlos, she is actually a very skilled operator, plus hot. https://www.youtube.com/wat…

Barrelled
Barrelled
5 years ago
Reply to  Cave dweller

So the point of the video is that she can paddle out at the Bay during a set and take a bunch of whitewater on the head? Yeah, that proves it, she charges.

turts
turts
5 years ago

‘It was a different time for women’

Wasn’t exactly the 1950s love.

Wilbur
Wilbur
5 years ago
Reply to  turts

Yeah, she’s talking about 2019? Fucking funny.

Andy Aames
Andy Aames
5 years ago

Hard to argue with Slates on this one

Beef & Beer
Beef & Beer
5 years ago

Good on ya Kelly
Good on ya Laird

She’s a fuckin’ idiot
Self unaware
Arrogant
Egotistical
Moronic
Dangerous
Typical of a lot of machismo fuelled agro bullfighting Latino, Mediterranean, South American types

And some of the men are worse…

P.S.
That German guy seems like a dick too
(in a lederhosen kinda way…)

Yomar
Yomar
5 years ago
Reply to  Beef & Beer

honestly dunno about Sebstian but spot on until there!

Gourmet Kook
Gourmet Kook
5 years ago

🐐. ……… … .. . . … …………………. ..

toaster redux
toaster redux
5 years ago

I wil start a go fund me account for a box of tissues

Eddie Haiku
Eddie Haiku
5 years ago

Surely sweet Maya
Could have donated that hair
To those with more need

Return of the Samsung Board
Return of the Samsung Board
5 years ago
Reply to  Eddie Haiku

Probably why Kelly pissed at her


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