Keala Kennelly

Photo by Keala Kennelly

In Hawaii, Keala Kennelly grew up around surfing. She was especially drawn to the more dangerous big wave surfing, in which only the most experienced surfers ride out into the ocean to take on waves at least 20 feet high. “I spent my entire life hearing how women couldn’t surf big waves,” Kennelly says. “There were all these preconceived notions about what women were capable of in the ocean.” Thankfully, she didn’t listen. Instead, she became one of the fiercest in her field, consistently beating out the best men in surfing and becoming the first woman to win an open gender category at the Big Wave Awards last year. Rising to the top of her sport didn’t come to her without hardship in the 20 years since she turned pro, however. Being out as a lesbian has caused her to be “less marketable,” losing her some sponsorships—but Kennelly, who also acts (“Blue Crush,” “John from Cincinnati”) and DJs around the world, hasn’t let the surfing industry’s notions of what’s acceptable stop her on this count, either. “‘Less marketable’ is just an old, outdated perception that needs to be shattered,” she says, “and I am in the process of doing that.”—SJ