Keala Kennelly the first woman to win open category at the Big Wave Awards

WHEN she was a little girl Keala Kennelly was often told she couldn’t surf, let alone master big waves, by fellow surfers. Boy, were they wrong.

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WHEN she was a little girl Keala Kennelly was often told she couldn’t surf, let alone master big waves by fellow surfers.

Boy, were they wrong.

The fearless Hawaiian big wave surfer, who has spent much of her life proving her critics wrong, today has created surfing history as the first woman to win an open category at the annual Big Wave Awards in the US.

Keala Kennelly is the first woman to win in the category, or in any open-gender category. Picture: Supplied

And she did it in style with her win coming on one of the heaviest waves in the world.

The 37-year-old won the Pure Scot Barrel of the Year Award for her massive tube ride at Teahupoo, Tahiti.

“When I was a little girl, I kept getting told I could not do things because I was a girl,” Kennelly said.

“I was told that women can’t surf, and I was told this about getting barrelled, surfing big waves, surfing Pipeline, paddling in a Jaws, and the list goes on.

Hawaiian Keala Kennelly won the Billabong Pro in Teahupoo, Tahiti, after riding some monster waves. Picture: Supplied

“So who I really really want to thank is everyone who told me you can’t do that because you’re a woman.

“Because that drove me to dedicate my life to proving you wrong and it’s been so damn fun.”

Andrea Moller won the Women’s Best Performance Award with Shane Dorian, one of the world’s most decorated Big Wave surfers, secured the Billabong Ride of the Year Award, as well as the Surfline Men’s Overall Performance of the Year Award.