Raquel Pereira Heckert Henning, (born March 12, 1993) is a water women; professional surfer and big wave surfer competitor; life style model and journalist student. Born and raised in Niterói city, Rio de Janeiro. Now, she lives most of the year on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii, USA.
Personal life
Raquel started to surf when she was 12 years old, before that she used to go to the beach with her dad and play around with a bodyboard. But one day Raquel was watching people surfing, and she was wondering how the surfers could do turns and not fall from their boards. She was so intrigued by how they synchronized perfectly with the wave, that the curiosity of the challenged moved her to learn how to surf. Her dad, Marco Andre, got a used, cheap board for children's day and she went to this surf school called Niteroi Surf. The beach she learned how to surf is Itaipu, located in Niterói city. She learned how to surf in a channel that is where a lake connects to the ocean and makes this little wave. Itaipu is by Itacoatiara beach, one of the heaviest big waves breaks in Brazil. In Itacoatiara beach, that afterwords Raquel developed her love for barrels and big waves.
Surfing accomplishments
The was the youngest woman ever invited for the Eddie Aikau 2019-2022 as an 2nd alternate.
WSL nominee/ finalist for Women’s best performance and biggest wave of 2018 and 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.
4x times finalist for the WSL Big Wave Awards for the categories of Biggest Wave and Best female perfomance of the year
1st Place of the Big wave Awards Brazil 2019 - Extreme Boardriders Club
1st Place, Rookie of the Year Brazil 2018- Extreme Boardriders Club
2nd Place at Itacoatiara Big Wave 2019- First Big Wave Contest for women in Brazil.
2nd Place of the Wave of the Year Brazil 2022- First Woman to get barrel at Shock
Competitor of the WSL Vans triple Crown online 2021-22/ Hanking: 10th place
Red Bull Magnitude Finalist 2021-22
3rd place at the Nelscott Reef Expression Session in Oregon 2019
Competitor of the WSL Pe’ahi Challenge 2018 and 2019, invite of 2020-21
Semi Finalist of the first and last Red Bull barrels Contest in Mexico, by Coco Nogales 2017
4th place at Puerto Escondido Cup 2018, by Monster - First Women's Big Wave Contest in Mexico.
4th place at the Puerto Escondido cup, presented by Corona 2019
Participant of the Big Wave Expression Session for women at an Outer Reef (North Shore, Oahu) 2016.
4th place at the Pipeline Woman's Pro longboard
Accomplishments as a grom
Campeonato na Praia da Joaquina/ 2015- Segundo Lugar
Campeonato Brasileiro Universitário/ 2013 - Quarto Lugar
Primeiro Lugar (Circuito de Surf Ricardo Tatuí 20/10/2007)
Maçambaba
Circuito Municipal de Surf de Cabo Frio - Quarto Lugar
Circuito ASN-2011- Terceiro Lugar
Circuito Municipal de Surf, em Cabo Frio, Amador- Segundo Lugar
Ranking 2012- ASN (Associação de Surf Niteroiense)- Terceiro Lugar
ASN- Associação de Surf Niteroiense 2012- Segundo Lugar
ASN-Associação de Surf Niteroiense, Terceira Etapa 2009- Terceiro Lugar
ASN- Associação de Surf Niteroiense, Primeira Etapa 2011- Terceiro Lugar
ASN- Associação de Surf Niteroiense, Terceira Etapa 2011- Segundo Lugar
Circuito Long Board, (ASAC), 2011, em Arraial do Cabo- Terceiro Lugar
ASN- Associação de Surf Niteroiense, terceira etapa 2012- Quarto Lugar
ASN- Associação de Surf Niteroiense, segunda etapa 2011- Terceiro Lugar
Cyclone- Barra da Tijuca 2012- Terceiro Lugar
ASRT- Surf 2009- Terceiro Lugar
Surf Águas de Niterói- Terceiro Lugar
ASN- Associação de Surf Niteroiense, Segundo lugar.
MEDIA
Surfline ambassador: 2021
WSL Rising Tides Project participant, wich aims to empower women's surfing in the world
Participated of CEWS, the female committee that fights for the equality of men and women in surfing;
- Television
Woman Surfing Big Waves at Globo Esporte, Brazilian Tv.
American TV Show’s include: Chasing Monsters, at insight Tv Channel; and Your Wings Will Grow;
Participant in many episodes of the Brazilian TV Show Canal Off (extreme sports channel) : Mulheres do Mar; Manual de Ondas Grandes; Alerta de ondas gigantes; novo Programa do Lucas Chumbo; Meninas e gromets; Kombi Jussara pelo Brasil; Diario das ilhas; de volta em Oahu de bike com Felipe Cesarano and other Brazillian programs
Intereviewed several times for Hawaiian News Now, to talk about competition and professional surf life
Coming Soon: Brazilian Documentary about the History of Women’s surfing (In Production); The Road to Eddie
- Media press
Surf Girl Magazine, two pages
Free Surf Mag, one page.
Surfer Girl Mag, two pages.
Surfar Maggazine, two pages.
Three article series on Magic Seaweed in search for barrels in Mexico coast, 2021 by Matt
Indicated by Red Bull as one of the 10 Free Surfers to be followed on Instagram
New York Times article about Female Big Wave surfing and equality in the sport
Posts on the WSL official Instagram about my big wave surfing performance
Interviews: Red Bull profile interview, Stab, Carve Mag, The blues blog, The inertia, Surfline, Surf Channel, Surf Girl Magazine, Fansided etc
Cover of " A Tribuna" journal, first woman to make a barrel at Shock slab
Columnist for a couple years of the brazilian surf website ~" Rico Surf"
Front page of the website Magicseaweed on 03/28/2019; an article In Portrait: The Underground Heroes of Hawaii`s North Shore;
Brazilian website subjects: Rico Surf, Waves, Surf Guru, Jornal O Globo, Fluminense, Woohoo, Alma Surf; Livre Surf; Surf Room; Tudo pelo Surfe; Surf na Rede; Onda Gringa; Gazeta Online; Revista TRIP
O Globo and Fluminense Brazilian Newspaper
Interview for the brazlian Tv channel, SBT for Surf Land Tv program and Woohoo; Globo.
Category:Surf culture
Category:Surfing
Category:Big wave surfers
Category:Water woman
Category:Professional surfer