Keala Kennelly

Keala Kennelly is a name that’s hard to miss in the surfing community. A driven record-breaker and LGBTQ+ activist, the 42-year-old has long dominated the waves, and shows no signs of slowing down. Growing up in a tight-knit surfing family and as a goddaughter to the legendary pro-surfer Laird Hamilton, the sport was in her blood. Now, off the back of another spectacular victory, the newly crowned Red Bull Magnitude big-wave winner opens up about the highs and lows of surfing, LGBTQ+ visibility in a male-dominated sport, and why wave cruising needs more women.

You’re now a record-breaking surfer, but how did you first get into sports?

I got into sports at a super young age – and surfing. I was literally a baby in diapers