Maya Gabeira: “As individuals, we can do a lot to help the oceans recover”

You are considered one of the best professional surfers in the world, in the big-wave rider category. How did you first get into this sport?

I started surfing around the age of 13 in Ipanema Beach, Rio de Janeiro. At the time, I was inspired by a boyfriend and school friends and decided to join the boys in the ocean rather than waiting for them on the beach.

An accident nearly took your life back in 2013, but then you had an incredible comeback breaking two world records. What gave you that strength?

The passion for the sport , the passion for the ocean and my lifestyle. It took me four years to put my body and mind strong again to surf big waves and break records. I didn’t want to give up on my dreams and I didn’t want to give up on being a professional surfer. So in a way it was more natural to keep fighting than to just walk away from my life and passion. Everyday progression kept me motivated, and I celebrated the small milestones along the way.

You are very outspoken about gender discrimination within the sport world, and about athletes battling anxiety. Can you tell us more about these issues?

I had to be engaged on the gender issue because the lack of opportunity for us women in big wave surfing was enormous. So in order to keep progressing in my sport I had to change things in it. I had to create a better platform to be able to continue pursuing a professional career in surfing. I also love making sure those female athletes who come after me won’t have to deal with the exact same struggles I did. That’s my small contribution to the sport. And about mental health: once I was diagnosed with anxiety disorder my life changed for the better. I struggled for so long, not knowing what I had. After my diagnosis, I told my inner circle and my life got so much easier. I felt speaking about it made a big positive impact on my health.

You have been named UNESCO Champion of the Ocean And Youth. What is your message to young people all around the world and what can you tell us about the protection of oceans?

It’s humbling to accept such a title. I hope I can spread awareness about the challenges the ocean faces and the actions we can take to protect it! We as individuals can contribute immensely to helping restore the oceans’ health. I spend a lot of time in the ocean, and I have seen the decline of it in the last many years. I hope that we as individuals can take action now to preserve it and pressure world leaders to do the same on a larger scale, which is so necessary to achieve our goals of restoring the ocean.

Which goals are you hoping to achieve in your capacity as a UNESCO Champion?

First, to keep educating myself to be able to educate others; to keep tracking the new science and information coming from the studies and understanding how we can protect the ocean more effectively. On a personal level, we can protect the oceans by daily actions, but I also hope to use my platform and love for the ocean to engage more people in this conversation and help make it the global trending topic it should be!