The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational (colloquially, "The Eddie"
) is a
big wave surfing
Big wave surfing is a discipline within surfing in which surfers paddle into, or are towed into, waves that are at least 20 feet (6.2 m) high, on surf boards known as "guns" or towboards. The size of the board needed to successfully surf these w ...
tournament held at
Waimea Bay
Waimea Bay is located in Haleiwa on the North Shore of Oʻahu in the Hawaiian Islands at the mouth of the Waimea River. Waimea Valley extends east of Waimea Bay. means "reddish water" in Hawaiian.
History
On February 27, 1779, Captain ...
on the north shore of
Oahu
Oahu (, , sometimes written Oahu) is the third-largest and most populated island of the Hawaiian Islands and of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital, Honolulu, is on Oahu's southeast coast. The island of Oahu and the uninhabited Northwe ...
, Hawaii. The tournament is named for
native Hawaiian
Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous peoples of Oceania, Indigenous Polynesians, Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands.
Hawaiʻi was set ...
, champion big wave surfer, and life-saving Waimea Bay lifeguard,
Eddie Aikau.
[ Created in 1984 at nearby Sunset Beach, the invitational tournament moved to the notoriously big-waved Waimea Bay, where Aikau's family maintains an ancestral tradition as caretakers of Waimea Valley.
Previously, The Eddie was formally the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau until 2016, after which sponsor ]Quiksilver
Quiksilver is a brand of surf-inspired apparel and accessories that was founded in 1969 in Torquay, Victoria, but is now based in Huntington Beach, California. It is one of the world's largest brands of surfwear and boardsport-related equip ...
and the Aikau family could not agree to terms for a new contract; since 2024 it has been called the Rip Curl Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational after the surfing apparel company Rip Curl
Rip Curl is an Australian designer, manufacturer, and retailer of Surfing#Equipment, surfing sportswear (also known as ''boardwear'') and accompanying products, and a major athletic sponsor. Rip Curl has become one of the largest surfing compan ...
took over sponsorship of the event.
Tournament format
The tournament is known for a unique requirement that open-ocean swells reach a minimum height of before the competition can be held. Open-ocean swells of this height generally translate to wave faces in the bay of to . As a result of this requirement, the tournament has only been held eleven times during the history of the event, most recently on December 22, 2024.
Each year, 28 to 40 surfers, chosen by polling among their peers, are invited to Waimea Bay to participate in the opening ceremony "Blessing of Eddie Aikau" on the first Thursday of December. These surfers then await an Official Call during the competition window, at which point they have 12 hours to arrive at Waimea Bay to check in the morning of the competition. Participants compete in two rounds of about four or five heats each during the competition day, which is generally from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Each heat in the first round lasts 45 minutes, and 50 minutes in the second round. Surfers' four best-scoring waves over both rounds make up their total score.
Eddie Aikau's brother, Clyde Aikau, won the second "Eddie" in 1986.Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship
The Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship is named in honor of the "Father of Modern Surfing", Duke Kahanamoku, Duke Paoa Kahinu Mokoe Hulikohola Kahanamoku. The contest began in 1965 by invitation only at Sunset Beach (Oahu), Sunset B ...
.
The 2023 event included female surfers for the first time in the history of the contest.
Tournament winners
Gallery
Notes
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Eddie, The
Big wave surfing
Surfing competitions in Hawaii
Surfing in Hawaii
Annual events in Hawaii
Recurring sporting events established in 1984
1984 establishments in Hawaii
Sports in Oahu