The Athlete

Bianca Valenti surfs waves the size of buildings and knows how to win with risk. A world champion big-wave surfer, entrepreneur, and speaker, she has made history both in and out of the water.

2012 - 2024
From Pipeline to Present
Bianca is the 2024 Big Wave Challenge Winner, a 9x Mavericks Awards Champion, 2x Puerto Escondido Cup Winner, and one of the few women to compete in the Eddie Aikau Invitational, the world’s most prestigious big-wave surf event.

Bianca is the 2024 Big Wave Challenge Winner, a 9x Mavericks Awards Champion, 2x Puerto Escondido Cup Winner, and one of the few women to compete in the Eddie Aikau Invitational, the world’s most prestigious big-wave surf event. She led — and won — the fight for equal pay in surfing, securing it for all athletes worldwide. For her trailblazing impact, she has been inducted into the California Outdoor Hall of Fame and named as an Honorary Chief in the State of California.

As a community leader, Bianca embodies stoke, confidence, risk, and leadership in everything she does. She channels those qualities into creating opportunities for athletes everywhere — and into inspiring audiences with hard-won lessons from surfing the world’s biggest waves: lessons on resilience, equity, and peak performance under extreme pressure.
Career Highlights
A fast look at the moments that shaped Bianca’s path, from Pipeline to the Eddie Aikau, marking elite performance under pressure, principled leadership, and service to her community.
2024
Peak Season
Eddie Aikau Big Wave InvitationalInvitee & Competitor, placed 2nd overall in women’s division.
Mavericks Awards Champion – Winner in Biggest Wave, Best Overall Performer, and Best Ride.
Big Wave Awards Champion Best Ride of the Year.
2023
Honors Season
Mavericks Awards Champion – Winner in Biggest Wave, Best Overall Performer, and Best Ride.
Red Bull MagnitudeOverall 4th Place Winner.
California Outdoor Hall of Fame Inductee – Honored for pioneering achievements in surfing and ocean advocacy.
Named Honorary Chief of State of California – Recognized for leadership and contribution to sport and community.
2022
Mavericks Sweep
Mavericks Awards Champion – Winner in Biggest Wave, Best Overall Performer, and Best Ride.
2018 – 2019
Back-to-Back
Puerto Escondido Cup Champion – Back-to-back wins in Mexico’s premier big wave event.
UCSB Emerging Leadership Award – for her Trailblazing and Pioneering Work to create opportunities for athletes with the state of California
2018
Equal Pay
Equal Pay Victory in Surfing – Led successful fight for equal pay for all athletes in the World Surf League.
2014
World Champion
Big Wave World Tour Champion – Crowned World Champion.
2012
Pipeline Win
Pipeline Champion – Winner at Hawaii’s legendary Pipeline.
Jessica Lessin
Founder & CEO, The Information
“Bianca was the highlight of our Women in Tech & Finance Summit. She is an unforgettable ‘risk tactician’ whose perspective moved a room of decision-makers.”
Robin Pille
Technical Content Leader, Splunk
"Bianca’s stories and clear leadership framework resonated across roles, inspiring brave action and thoughtful self-leadership company-wide.”
Gabrielle McGee
Former COO, Tory Burch Foundation
“At our Embrace Ambition Summit, Bianca connected big-wave grit to Equal Play with practical, empowering takeaways that inspired the audience to think bigger and act bolder.”
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Podcast Sessions
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Invite Bianca for a keynote or values-aligned partnership that turns pressure into performance.
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