Bruna Zaun, nee Schmitz, grew up in a small town in the south of Brazil called Matinhos. She has described her childhood as mellow, and like many Brazilians, she was drawn to the ocean and the beach. Under her big brother’s influence, she started surfing at the age of nine and competing at 11. By her teens, her incredible potential had been spotted, and she became the youngest Brazilian to win a professional surfing event aged 15.

In 2010, when she was 18, her rapid ascent to the top of world surfing was confirmed when she qualified for the CT, a feat she repeated in 2011. At the same time, her athleticism had led to opportunities in the modeling world. In 2011 she featured in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Following her time on the CT, Bruna was paid to travel the world as a Roxy Global Ambassador, a role she maintains to this day. After meeting her now-husband and pro surfer Dane Zaun, she relocated to Hermosa Beach, California, but never forgot her roots. She has used her role model status to create fun, recreational opportunities for Brazil's less fortunate city children. Being a kid at heart with a fun-loving attitude that is infectious, the programs made a huge difference.

More recently Zaun has built a huge social media fan based around her Californian lifestyle, modeling gigs, love of food and, her surfing. For it was her incredible talent on a surfboard that first alerted the world to her wider talents. In many ways, her competitive journey was perhaps cut short too early. Aged just 29, she still has time to show she can still mix it with the very best in the world.

Instagram: @brunaschmitz