When Laura Crane told her school careers adviser at the age of 10 that she wanted to become a surfer, she was met with a laugh.
"That's very sweet Laura, but you're from the UK and girls don't surf."
Undeterred, she looked the careers adviser dead in the eye and said: "I am going to be a professional surfer."
Crane, now 30, has lived up to her word. She is a professional big wave surfer – a category that involves waves 20ft (6m) and over – and is one of Britain's best-known names in surfing.
She has taken on enormous waves in surf hotspots around the world, including the monster 60ft (18m) waves in Portugal's Nazaré.
Perhaps her most significant challenge, however, has been carving a place for herself in an industry that for years sidelined women and valued appearances over athleticism.
"I remember signing my first professional contract at 12," said Crane, who is originally from Bristol but moved to north Devon aged seven, where she first began surfing.
"I was so excited at the prospect of travelling the world and surfing crazy waves.
"But it became pretty apparent on that first trip with my sponsors that I was a glorified bikini model. It knocked my confidence completely."
Sexism, she said, was one of her biggest barriers to achieving her goals.
"It made me feel like my only value was my physical appearance," she said. "It was very tough to be a female athlete and gain recognition as a physical force."
