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Maya Gabeira’s story develops like a wave cresting and crashing—the kind of story that makes you question not just the limitations of athleticism but the entire fabric of society’s expectations. Her father, Fernando Gabeira, was a revolutionary figure in Brazil who lived his life in defiance of authoritarian regimes. This ancestry hung huge over Maya, imbuing her with a passionate sense of purpose that rivaled the waves she would eventually conquer. I reflect on how our backgrounds shape us, often in ways we only notice in retrospect.

Her debut in surfing at thirteen was more about discovery than rebellion—a search for identity amid puberty. Amazingly, a sport so inextricably linked to nature can become a canvas for personal expression and ambition. In just a few years, she went from a curious youngster with a surfboard to a world champion, earning accolades and sponsorships that would make any athlete jealous.

Though the field of women’s athletics has evolved and expanded considerably in recent years, it still seems well-nigh impossible for even the most elite competitors to get more than a tiny fraction of the recognition routinely accorded star sportsmen. That equation certainly seems borne out in “Maya and the Wave,” Stephanie Johnes’ portrait of leading female big wave surfer Maya Gabeira. This festival favorite (which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival before kicking off Doc NYC) has some gaps in storytelling and contextualization that leave it feeling like a less-than-complete picture of the protagonist’s career to date. Yet the film more than succeeds in its primary goals of providing an inspirational role model plus lots of stupendous surfing footage, a combination that will enthrall most viewers.

It opens with majestic waves nearly 100 feet high breaking off resort town Nazare on Portugal’s western coast. In addition to being her current home,...

At twenty-six years of age, Brazilian Maya Gabeira was at the top of her sport. A world champion. Winner of countless awards. On covers of magazines. And repped by Red Bull. Looking to progress her career from becoming a pioneer for women in the big wave surfing game to holding a World Record that stood next to the men in control of the sport, she and mentor Carlos Burle traveled to Nazaré, Portugal to accomplish the unthinkable. Everything came apart instead. Not only did she wipe out and almost die after two failed attempts at recovery left her unconscious and floating in the water, but Maya was ruthlessly dismissed by everyone in the industry as inexperienced, reckless, and a destructive force for surfing itself. She was all but abandoned.

What begins like a feel-good tale of one woman’s quest to be the best, Stephanie Johnes’ Maya and the Wave...