Maya Makes Waves

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pastedown endpapers

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To the whole Oceana and IOC team at UNESCO, who inspire, teach, and support me on this huge wave, which is to protect and restore our oceans.

Thank you! —M.

G.

To Sophie —R. K.

The illustrations for this book were made digitally with various analog textures.

Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for and may be obtained from the Library of Congress.

ISBN 978-1-4197-6001-3

Published in 2024 by Abrams Books for Young Readers, an imprint of ABRAMS. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

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Written by Maya Gabeira

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Abrams Books for Young Readers • New York

Illustrated by Ramona Kaulitzki

There was nowhere Maya felt happier and more at home than in the sea.

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Splashing salt water onto her face—that’s how Maya loved to wake up every morning.

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The sea smelled like freedom.

She tasted the salt on her lips.

The water washed Maya’s worries away: The breathing difficulties when her asthma kicked in or when the boys told her she had no talent. Everything that happened in her life on land was left behind.

Grabbing her surfboard and jumping into the ocean made Maya feel alive.

Every time she met a wave, she dove under the water, opened her eyes, and looked for the bottom of the ocean to see what she could find.

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Ocean water can transform its color depending on currents, wind, and rain, so the ocean Maya saw was always changing. Sometimes the water was blue-turquoise, and she could see what swam under her with vivid detail.

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Other times the water was dark green or even brown, and she couldn’t see anything.

Maya’s favorite waves broke on the shallow coral reef near her home, where the sea was full of life. On days that the waves were too flat to surf, Maya loved to investigate the reef. She would grab a swim mask, dive in, and explore the reef, noticing the coral formations, the caves, the tunnels, and the kelp swaying softly.

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The coral reef, also known as the rainforest of the sea, reminded Maya of flowers. Blue, green, purple, red . . . so many colors and shapes! (Though lately, she had also noticed that some parts of the coral were whitening and seemed less alive—she wondered why.)

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Most special of all were her encounters with the local animals. Maya knew a lot of the sea creatures: fish, sea stars, crabs, sea turtles, and many more lived in that rich habitat.

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But there was one animal she had never yet met in the wild: a shark. The king of the sea. The animal who had a reputation for being aggressive, fearless, and really fast. She couldn’t help but feel scared and anxious when anticipating that encounter—but she knew the sea was the shark’s home and that one day she would probably see one. So, she kept her guard up while she enjoyed visiting her beautiful underwater friends.

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To watch a school of fish swimming in perfect unison was magic. While the fish could spend endless time underwater, Maya had to regularly swim to the surface to catch a breath—then go under again to keep watching their dance. Because that’s what it looked like: a choreographed dance! They danced together to protect themselves from their predators, showing Maya the power of unity.

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Dolphins were great surfers, often seen riding waves in groups— in perfect harmony with the ocean, just like the schools of fish. Their timing—in and out, up and down—was impeccable. Maya studied them to imitate their awesome surfing style!

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Sea turtles were calm and in control, which made Maya feel that way too. One day, Maya was surfing in a new spot and was struggling to safely return to the shore. While paddling hard but not moving much, Maya felt alone and unsure. That’s when a sea turtle popped up next to her . . . and they swam together toward the beach! The sea turtle swam efficiently, with the currents in their favor, knowing the ocean is always stronger. Now Maya knew that too.

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The biggest marine animals of all, whales, are a rare sight, so any time Maya caught a glimpse of one, the world seemed to stop. Maya’s favorite was the humpback whale, a big and beautiful creature. What Maya liked the most was to hear the humpbacks singing underwater, their voices loud and powerful. When Maya felt small and intimidated, a humpback whale could make her feel mighty and unstoppable.

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And still, Maya had never encountered a shark. Would she see a tiger, a great white, a whale shark, a hammerhead? Would it be as scary as people had told her? Would it approach fast and unnoticed? Would it bite?

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After endless hours in the sea, it finally happened: Maya wound up face-to-face with a great white shark.

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He was indeed mighty and powerful. But to Maya’s surprise, he approached gently, and he whispered to her.

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“Maya, we are struggling in the sea because of all the plastic pollution, coral destruction, and overfishing. I now must look for days to find anything to eat. Life here is disappearing fast. I ask for your help to protect us. If you help us share this message, we will always welcome you into our home—because our home is your home too.

Please be our voice,” he pleaded.

And slowly, he disappeared into the depths of the sea.

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It tugged at Maya’s heart to hear the shark’s struggles—that even this mighty creature was vulnerable to the destruction of his home. Maya worried for her ocean friends—and also for the planet.

She knew that she must conquer her shyness and fear to become the shark’s voice and ally. She would share his message with the world! It wouldn’t be easy; with a world this big, how could she make a difference? How could she change the way we all behave? She couldn’t do it alone.

Everyone will need to lend their voices to the ocean if we are to regain its health and abundance. Maya knew what she had to do: One by one, she would share the stories she knew with everyone who would listen.

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She would summon the style of the dolphins, the calm of the sea turtles, the powerful voice of the whale, and the unity of the fish, so that many, many voices would say out loud, for all to hear . . .

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The ocean is in danger, and we must protect it.

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The time to act is now!

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Author’s Note

I am Maya Gabeira, a professional big-wave surfer born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—but a resident of the world. Most of the encounters I described in this book really happened to me while surfing or swimming in the ocean. They’ve made me who I am today.

While traveling for the last twenty years to surf the best—and some of the most remote—waves in the world, I have witnessed firsthand the impact of climate change on the ocean. Coral reefs are dying, sea levels are rising, and fish and marine life are disappearing around us. And humans are not doing enough to stop our devastating impacts on our blue planet. Now more than ever, I am aware of the urgent need for real change.

Why? It’s simple. The ocean is who we are. It’s what we eat. It’s what we draw our lives and livelihoods from.

More than half of the oxygen on Earth comes from the ocean. A healthy and abundant ocean could feed one billion people a nourishing seafood meal every day. Restoring and protecting the health of the ocean is not someone else’s problem; it is essential for our survival on planet Earth . . . or should we call it planet Ocean? After all, the ocean covers 71 percent of our planet.

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Over the years, I have learned a lot about what is happening beneath the surface of the water through my work with Oceana, the biggest nongovernmental organization (NGO) solely focused on ocean conservation. I am honored to sit on their board, to hear from the best scientists and experts in the field, and to actively engage in necessary change—for

instance, pushing for new laws against marine pollution and in favor of ocean protection. I also advocate for change as UNESCO Champion for the Ocean and Youth, where I use my voice and platform to support the scientific necessity of restoring and protecting the ocean as a source of life and sustainable economic growth.

There is still so much more we need to learn about our complex global ecosystem. We currently know more about Mars than we do our own ocean here on Earth. Isn’t that unbelievable? I have joined in the efforts of the United Nations’ Ocean Decade (2021–2030) to change this, making sure we enter the next decade armed with everything we need to know in order to reconnect humanity with the ocean and to build a truly blue society for future generations.

But my voice won’t be enough; this is a challenge we need to tackle together. We must pressure governments and industries to put nature and the future of humankind first, always. If we don’t do it, who will? Let’s work hard to minimize our footprints, individually and as a global community. Let’s guarantee that our children will see and rely on what we were so lucky to know: an abundant ocean full of life and possibilities.

Join me in taking action:

OCEANA: oceana.org

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United Nations Ocean Decade (2021-2030): oceandecade.org

I grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and I fell in love with surfing at my local beach, Ipanema, at fourteen years old. My friends surfed—but they were all boys. I’d always been given the strong impression that surfing was not a girl’s sport. But something about the ocean, the freedom, and navigating a male-dominated world captured my imagination. I jumped in headfirst, ignoring the limitations that I and my family believed I had as an asthmatic child.

I started by learning from a surf school in my area, and from there, I adventured out into the big world. At fifteen, I was studying and surfing abroad in Australia. At seventeen, I moved to Hawaii, the most famous place for surfing in the world. I was inspired when I saw Jamilah Star, one of the only women surfing big waves at the time, carrying her huge gun surfboard—a board shaped specifically to catch big waves—across the sand in Waimea Bay: one brave woman in the middle of many brave men. From there, I continued to travel and to surf the most beautiful and famous waves.

Today I live in Nazaré, Portugal, like the Maya in this story. I became a professional big wave surfer, the first woman pro in my sport, back in 2007. Eleven years later, at Praia do Norte in Nazaré, I surfed a 68-foot wave, the biggest of my life so far—and the biggest ever surfed by a woman. I petitioned the World Surf League to establish the first women’s record—after many years of only men being honored—and set the first Guinness World Record for the largest wave surfed by a female surfer. I then broke my own record in 2020, also in Nazaré, by surfing the biggest wave of the year—male or female—measured at 73.5 feet.

Many didn’t believe it to be possible, including myself at the lowest moments of my career: a woman beating men in big wave surfing, a sport that is still heavily male-dominated. A sport that can be dangerous, but that celebrates courage, force, and power—all attributes not easily associated with or celebrated in women in our society.

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But this wasn’t the first time I’d surfed at Nazaré. Years earlier, when I displayed bravery in the waves and failed, nearly drowning while surfing a huge wave there, I was heavily criticized and told I had been unprepared. I endured four years of spinal surgeries, physical and emotional traumas, doubts, and uncertainties. Meanwhile, I watched as my male peers were praised for their bravery, never having their abilities brought into question. In those years, I could have given up—decided that I couldn’t continue anymore, physically or emotionally. Instead, I took my time, studied my weaknesses, and strengthened my game. I dove deep into the quest of bettering myself and continued to pursue my dream of dominating the Beast: the waves of Nazaré.

As a young woman in the world, I learned to be independent, to speak up for myself, and to fight for what really matters. And I know I am where I am today because I was inspired to dream by my dad. He is a liberal journalist and politician, and I moved in with him when I was thirteen years old. He taught me, through action, that dedication, passion, and hard work are the recipe for a fulfilling life. My family also allowed me to adventure into the world alone, to

ONCE UPON A TIME, in a fishing village called Nazaré, there lived a Beast.

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