Comments are closed.
The Eddie Would Go!
December 8th, 2009
This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Big-Wave Contest, and as of this morning (12/8/09), the contest is on! For the first time in four years, the waves are biggest enough to run the world’s most unique surf competition. With wave heights reaching 20-30 foot faces, the best big-wave riders in the world are charging these huge, fairly clean swells at the North Shore’s Waimea Bay. The contestants include former winners like: Clyde Aikau, Eddie’s younger brother who is the oldest competitor in the water today; Keone Downing, the son of big-wave legend and contest director George Downing; Australia’s Ross Clarke-Jones; 9x world champ Kelly Slater; and Bruce Irons, who won the event the last time it was held in 2004.
The sun is out, and the surrounding cliffs are packed with thousands of people who flocked to Waimea Bay early this morning. Traffic is lined up for miles in both directions of the Bay, and fans around the world are watching the event on their computers and on stations like ESPN. Cameras line the beach, and the crowds hoot and holler as each giant set rolls through the Bay and the ant-sized surfers drop down the faces of these massive waves.
Last Thurs., all of the invited surfers gathered at the Bay for the opening ceremony of the contest to pay their respect to Eddie Aikau, who saved hundreds of lives as a lifeguard at Waimea and surfed the biggest waves ever to come through the Bay. The Aikau family’s minister told the story about how Eddie was lost at sea after trying to rescue his fellow sailors aboard the capsized sailing canoe Hokule’a. The minister blessed the surfers and invoked Eddie’s spirit to watch over them during the contest.
At the end of the ceremony, the contestants paddled out to form a circle near the Hokule’a, which had sailed over to pay homage to the fallen hero. It was a beautiful and moving moment as the best surfers in the world shared memories of the iconic Hawaiian. With all of the thrills and spills of the Eddie Contest, family, friends and fellow big-wave riders still remember that it was Eddie’s spirit of aloha and dedication to helping others that make this contest so special. For more info about the event or Eddie, check out excerpts of “Eddie Would Go” on Amazon.com and read the book about his inspiring story!