Beyond the Board

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From surfing legend Maya Gabeira comes this awe-inspiring memoir for teens about chartering your own course and making wavesBeyond the Board is the untold story of living legend Maya Gabeira who—at 25—broke her back and went on not only to recover but to hold the record for highest wave conquered by any big-wave surfer in the 2019–2020 winter season. Gabeira has been heralded as one of the top surfers of her generation, male or female—a legend in the making. But who is the ferocious personality beyond the board?
Gabeira’s memoir will chronicle her journey from a determined yet anxiety-plagued adolescent to the indomitable champion, Guinness World Record–holder, and role model she is today. Often called “Super Woman of surfing,” Gabeira didn’t pick up a board until age 15; before that, she was a ballet dancer. Just two years later, she left her home in Rio de Janeiro in order to chase waves around the world, toting a single backpack and waiting tables to get by. As a teen, Gabeira carved her own path, and her story is a remarkable one: a passion-driven young woman who learned never to flinch—even in the face of death. Maya Gabeira is a Brazilian big-wave surfer, best known for setting the 2018 Guinness World Record for biggest wave ever surfed by a woman and for breaking her own record in 2020 with a wave of 73.5 feet, the biggest surfed by anyone—male or female—that year. As an ESPY award–winner and seven-time World Surf League Big Wave Award–winner, Gabeira is one of the most influential surfers of all time. She is also passionately committed to, and a fierce advocate for, restoring the world’s oceans.

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