Aussie sport star Laura Enever risks her life every time she competes – now she reveals her REAL fear is something millions of Australians do every day

Laura Enever has looked death in the face many times and holds the world record for surfing the biggest and most dangerous surf spot in the world, but there’s one simple act that all Aussies do every day that terrifies her – until now.

The Australian surfer talks about her perilous expeditions in some of the deadliest places on earth and how she manages to overcome her fears.

Enever started her career by winning the ISA Junior World Championship in 2008 and the ASP Women’s Junior World Championship in 2009.

She competed on the World Surf League Championship Tour, posting a career-best 10th in 2016 and transitioned to big wave surfing in 2020.

Enever set a Guinness World Record in 2023 for the largest wave paddled by a woman, measuring 43 feet (13.3 meters) at O’ahu’s North Shore, and was honored at the 2024 Big Wave Challenge Awards for her efforts.

O’ahu’s North Shore is known for its huge and powerful waves, especially during the winter months, with its combination of strong currents, sharp coral reefs and unpredictable wave conditions.

The Aussie set the women’s world record for the largest wave surfed at 13.3 metres

Enever, 32 and only 168 centimeters tall, knows she doesn’t look the type to tackle the deadly O’ahu waves.

‘People looked at me and said, ‘You’re not strong enough. You need to get bigger, your legs need to get bigger,” she told the BBC Sydney Morning Herald.

“But catching the biggest wave isn’t about being the biggest person; it’s about positioning and knowledge.

“It’s this huge ocean you’re in and you’re trying to catch a wave generated by a storm thousands of miles away, and you position yourself in a line, trying to match the speed as you paddle into it.”

‘That’s all knowledge, intuition and experience.

“The people who have believed in me have played a crucial role in my own belief that I can come out and belong in this world. And I just thought, ‘just stop, I’m not telling myself I’m not strong enough.’

But while Enever has no problem riding the biggest waves in the world, it’s the simple practice of “growing up” that she fears most.

Enever has watched her friends become parents, including podcaster and model Chloe Fisher this year, and wondered how she could possibly manage all the tasks that come with motherhood.

Enever has revealed that growing up is her biggest fear and wonders how she can become a mother, just like her friend Chloe Fisher (center)

Enever married her long-term partner Jake (pictured together) in September and is now entertaining the idea of ​​striking a balance between having children and continuing her surfing career

She previously thought she would have children after her surfing career ended, but now that she is married to her long-term lover Jake, she watches her friends become mothers and cherishes the idea of ​​balancing both.

“I’m so inspired by so many female athlete moms who have come back and done incredible things. “They showed that you can be a mother, you can be powerful and you can play your sport just as well as you did before you had children,” she said.

‘The sport is dangerous and I have spoken to big wave surfers who do have children.

“And you’re always as safe as you can be – you have your safety teams, your training, holding your breath underwater – but bad things can happen. And that would certainly play a role in whether I wanted to take it easier.

“But I would also like to say to my child: ‘go for it’.”

And recently had surgery for pterygium, also known as surfer’s eye, which is caused by sun, wind and dusty conditions

The Australian surfing champion has also revealed the alter ego she rolls out to gain the courage to brave the monster waves

While Enerver is human, with real human fears, she also revealed how she overcame those fears in recent years when faced with the world’s most treacherous waves.

“From the very first time I went to Jaws [a well-known big wave surfing challenge  off Maui in Hawaii] and put myself in this deadly wave situation, a person came out of me that I just didn’t know existed,” Enever said.

“I tried to find her during games; she rarely comes out of the closet. But when I surf these waves, it just brings out the most focused, determined, powerful version of myself.

“She doesn’t have a name, but she should, right? I think everyone thinks it’s just “crazy Laura.” Maybe we’ll call her Lorita? That’s Lorita out there. She loves it. I love it.’

Enever said “Lorita” allowed her to calm any nerves and rely on her skill and intuition to conquer every wave in front of her.

“Lorita is in charge. There’s always fear there, but when I’m in the lineup, that’s where I am — I’m in the present and I trust my intuition, she said.

“All fear comes in the week leading up to a swell. You pack the things and think of the worst things that could happen.

‘Now I realize they are just thoughts. That’s all.’