Mahina Maeda was born and raised on the North Shore of Oahu to Japanese parents. Her big-wave surfing father taught the Maeda to surf at their local beach; the iconic Sunset Beach.

From an early age, Maeda was one of the standout junior performers in the ultra-competitive waters of Hawaii. She dominated the Hawaiian junior tour, before winning the World Junior Championships in 2014, and finishing runner-up in 2015.

With a smooth, yet powerful style and a love of big waves it seemed inevitable that the goofy-footer would parlay her junior success onto the CT. She came incredibly close in 2015, missing out by a few heats on making the cut. It was a similar story in 2018 and 2019 as she yet again came agonizingly close to making surfing’s top table.

The affable Maede however was never disillusioned by the setbacks. She continued her big-wave education by tackling the outer reefs near her home. She completed her instructor's course in Ginastica Natural, a full-body weight training method, and doubled down on her commitment to her qualification dream.

The hard work paid off when she qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games at the 2021 ISA Surfing Games after she had committed to surfing for Japan. It could be the springboard for the supremely exciting surfer’s push to where her talent belongs.

Instagram: @mahinamaeda