-
2000-2001 winner, Ross Clarke-Jones. Photo: Sean Davey
-
Surfing's most respected lineup. Photo: Sean Davey
The Eddie Aikau contest began as a tribute, strayed toward irrelevance, and is now a signpost of progression. Throughout the waiting period, there's a brand of anticipation that only a spiritual connection can produce. That's the real story of Waimea Bay, a place that never changes but eternally defines the contemporary state of big-wave surfing. And when the Bay is really firing, there's a vibe and historical element to the place that cannot be matched.
It began in the winter of 1984-85 as a way to honor Aikau, the storied lifeguard/big-wave rider who died in his attempt to rescue members of the capsized Hokule'a, a double-hulled sailing canoe bound for Tahiti, in 1978. The inaugural event was held on a 10-foot day at Sunset, and local surfer Dayton Miyamura took home the trophy.
Expanding their horizons, Quiksilver organizers moved the event to Waimea
-
After winning his first World Title in 1992, Kelly Slater was asked about the possibility of receiving a wild-card entry into the Eddie: "I don't feel that would be a very good idea," he said. "It should be for the people who really love giant waves and are the best at it." Nine years later, he was an Eddie Aikau Invitational champion. Photo: Sean Davey
-
The Quiksilver pays tribute to Hawaiian Eddie Aikau, the storied lifeguard/big-wave rider who died in his attempt to rescue members of the capsized Hokule'a. Photo: Tyler Cuddy
the following winter -- and they were delivered a powerful message as huge, clean surf pounded the North Shore for weeks. On a memorable Wednesday, February 5th, the world's greatest big-wave riders stood in awe of 35-foot closeouts deemed "too radical to surf" by Aikau's deeply respected brother Clyde. Then came the night of February 22nd, when a giant swell did extensive damage to beachfront homes, destroying five of them beyond repair.
George Downing, the man entrusted with the call, was at Waimea the next morning. The surf was still raging, a wild and windy 25-feet, Island-style. To this day, Downing says he doesn't make the decision. He feels it is made for him, by the Bay itself, a sense that it would be Eddie's kind of day. Downing is a living legend of big-wave surfing, the embodiment of Hawaiian tradition and the raw courage it took to ride Sunset and Makaha in the 1940s and '50s.
-
The inaugural Eddie was actually held at Sunset Beach, but organizers moved the contest to Waimea Bay in 1986, creating one of the most popular and widely followed surf events in the world. Photo: Jeremiah Klein
It seemed otherworldly, a gift from the heavens, that Clyde would win that first contest while riding one of Eddie's favorite boards. So many greats were on hand -- Mark Foo, Ken Bradshaw, Roger Erickson, Tony Moniz, backside hellmen Mickey Nielsen and Marvin Foster -- but it was Clyde, with the same brazen confidence and "bully-style" stance that characterized Eddie's surfing, who truly stood out. That day also marked the arrival of Brock Little, then just 18 years old, riding fearlessly on an 8'0" that looked downright miniscule compared to Owl Chapman's 12-foot rhino chaser.
On the morning of that contest, Foo looked into Jack McCoy's video camera and declared, "Eddie would go." It wasn't the first declaration of that famous line, but it became the hallmark of this contest, and the reason it wasn't held over the next three winters. A standard had been set.
-
Flea Virostko's free-fall to immortality. Photo: Jeremiah Klein
-
Carlos Burle, Jamie O'Brien, Reef McIntosh. Photo: Sean Rowland
-
It seemed otherworldly, a gift from the heavens, when Clyde Aikau (pictured here) won the first contest held at Waimea, while riding one of his brother's favorite boards. Now in his 60s, Clyde still competes - and rips - in the contest. Photo: Tyler Cuddy
No one wanted any part of those 15- to 18-foot days so horribly overcrowded with pretenders. It was always about Eddie, in his trademark red-and-white trunks, waiting for that set that blackens the horizon and taking off as deep as anyone who ever surfed the place.
Eddie would've loved the swell of January 21, 1990, the day this contest reawakened. The surf was a solid 25- to 30-feet, with a stiff offshore wind and a westerly component that widened the rideable zone. It's doubtful any big-wave contest forged so many lasting images: Kerry Terukina's endless freefall, Richard Schmidt's miraculous air-drop, Keone Downing's mistake-free precision (earning him the win) and two rides from Little that changed the face of big-wave surfing.
In his first heat, Brock pushed over the edge of a legitimate 30-footer, the mere
-
Pete Mel's epic drop -- December, 2009. Photo: John Salanoa
attempt blowing everyone's mind. He appeared to be doing everything right, but the thing was just too massive -- "the unridden realm," as Foo said in admiration -- and it rudely ejected him around mid-face. Most surfers would be shaken by the thrashing, but Brock came back in his second heat to pull into a set-wave barrel -- and he actually came out the other side, just for a second, before spilling off his board. "Tuberiding out there is such a commitment," said Schmidt. "I've never seen anyone pull into a wave that big."
It's a good thing the memories were so vivid, because the contest disappeared for another five winters. At that, it only lasted through the first round on a December day in 1995, before it was called off due to a declining swell.
But just a week before, a small ceremony had been held on the Waimea grass
-
When the event is on, police are out in force in a futile attempt to keep traffic moving along Kam Hwy. Photo: Jeremiah Klein
to commemorate Foo's death at Maverick's. It was exactly one year later, and there would be closure at Waimea Bay -- but not before it took another life. That same day, California surfer Donny Solomon died during the chaos of a sneaker set.
To the consternation of contest organizers, 1995's event also marked the loudest proclamation of a new tow-in era. Bradshaw, Laird Hamilton and Darrick Doerner, all scheduled to surf the Aikau, spent the early morning on a towing expedition at outside Backyards, riding larger waves (up to 25 feet) in epic conditions. When water-patrol lifeguard Mel Pu'u jet-skied to the scene, advising everyone that the contest was on, Bradshaw dutifully returned to Waimea -- but Laird and Darrick stayed.
"We were getting whipped into bombers, two thousand yards behind the bowl," said Doerner. "We were riding a mile and a half
-
Greg Long's 100-point ride, which pushed him ahead of Slater and onto the podium in 2009. Video: Marc Beaty
-
After Bruce Irons won in '04 by packing the Waimea shorebreak, it practically became a mainstay. Here's his late, great brother Andy following suit. Photo: Bob Johnson
-
When the Eddie is on, finding a vantage point proves almost as challenging as finding parking. Photo: Snapinpics.com
on one wave. Nobody has more respect for the Aikau family and the spirit of that contest, but George (Downing) knows me, and he knows what's happening. You couldn't pay me $50,000 for what I got out there."
It was sad to see Waimea, essentially a drop and a bottom turn from a technical standpoint, look so basic in comparison to the tow-in movement. As the Eddie went dark for two more winters, other elements came into focus: phenomenal footage from Peahi (Jaws) and Outside Log Cabins, plans for a Maverick's contest, and a K2-sponsored $50,000 prize for surfers riding the biggest wave of the winter. Clyde Aikau was so depressed by the swirl of negativity, he announced his retirement from the contest during a Honolulu press party in December of 1998. But unbeknownst to him at the time, the resurrection of Waimea Bay -- and its fabled event -- was near.
-
The one that got away. Photo: Sean Rowland
-
Ramon Navarro's 100-pointer from last year's Eddie, which earned him $10,000 for the Monster Drop Award. Photo: Jeremiah Klein; Video: Marc Beaty
-
If it's big enough, the Bay can and will closeout. Photo: Sean Davey
It had always been agreed that New Year's Day would be off-limits to the contest, but when Downing tracked the swell due to arrive on January 1, 1999, he pulled the necessary strings to get a permit. It was a wild and windy 20 feet, with several 25-foot sets and the occasional closeout, and Randy Rarick revealed seeing "a real changing of the guard" in the performances of Tony Ray, Peter Mel, Johnny Boy Gomes, Rusty Keaulana and Noah Johnson, who won riding a 9'6" shaped by Bradshaw, his big-wave surfing mentor.
That must have been the day that changed Clyde's mind, because to everyone's relief, he was back on the entry list the following year. It's not really a prestigious event without Clyde, and he always stands out: 10th place in 2001, eighth in 2002, and a remarkable 22nd last year, at the age of 61, dropping into bombs with his unparalleled knowledge of the break and bringing
-
2004 Eddie champ Bruce Irons, riding Waimea for only the second time in his life. Photo: Sean Davey
seasoned observers to the point of tears.
Kelly Slater had always been stoked just to witness the spectacle. After he won his first world title in 1992, he was asked about possibly getting a wildcard entry into the Aikau. "I don't feel that would be a very good idea," he said. "For one, I wouldn't accept it. I'm really young (20), I'm not a Waimea surfer, and I don't have the experience or the credibility in a contest like that. I think it's above me. It should be for the people who really love giant waves and are the best at riding them."
Behind the scenes, Slater launched a radical shift in priorities, venturing to Oahu's outer reefs with the likes of Little, Todd Chesser, Keoni Watson and Chris Malloy. If you're Kelly Slater, such performances don't go unrecognized. He became a main-list Aikau entry in 1994, finished ninth in 1999 and scored a fifth in '01.
-
Like every invitee, Irons takes the Eddie seriously. Photo: Tyler Cuddy
Then came a two-day sequence that threw the big-wave community into a state of confusion. On the evening of January 6, 2002, the buoys were showing 20 feet at 25 seconds. Most of the big players were on Maui, preparing for a tow-in contest called the World Cup, but Downing spread word that the Aikau would almost certainly be a "go" the next morning.
Slater, who had spent the day surfing perfect, escalating Honolua Bay, got up at 4:45am and flew back to Oahu. For the tow teams, though, it was decision time. A number of them stayed on Maui, but Little, Brian Keaulana, Peter Mel, Flea Virostko, Tony Ray and Ross Clarke-Jones felt that "Eddie would go" spirit and scrambled to reach Waimea in time.
They knew they were in the right place, physically and spiritually, once they caught their first glimpse of the Bay. This was
-
As George Downing says, "The Bay calls the day." Photo: Jeremiah Klein
-
Slater and Reef McIntosh share an inverted one in 2009. Photo: John Salanoa
-
"I've been following this contest since I was 12 years old," Long told the crowd from the podium. "I've had every single poster from Brock Little to Bruce Irons on my wall. To be standing up here is a dream come true for me. I'm just standing here in awe." Photo: Jeremiah Klein
the setting for Slater's first Aikau victory, an achievement that left him bathed in humility, satisfaction and gratitude.
There have been two Aikau contests since then, each a raging success. Bruce Irons, surfing Waimea for only the second time in his life, won the December 2004 event in pristine, 20- to 25-foot conditions, punctuating his title by pulling backside into a nasty shorebreak tube, right arm raised in triumph. Then came last December 8, one of the best Waimea days in memory and a stirring victory by Californian Greg Long, who edged out Slater with a strong second-heat performance.
It was now abundantly clear that paddle-surfing was making a worldwide comeback. Long, Twiggy Baker, Mark Healey and others were at the forefront of a movement that all but shoved tow-surfing into oblivion. The day before the Aikau contest,
-
January 1, 1999 was a wild and windy 20 feet, with several 25-foot sets and the occasional closeout, and Randy Rarick revealed seeing "a real changing of the guard" in the performances of Tony Ray, Peter Mel, Johnny Boy Gomes, Rusty Keaulana and Noah Johnson (pictured here), who won the contest riding a 9'6" board shaped by Bradshaw, his big-wave surfing mentor. Photo: Sean Davey
-
In the end, it was always about Eddie, in his trademark red-and-white trunks, waiting for that set that blackens the horizon and taking off as deep as anyone who ever surfed the place. Photo: Pierre Tostee
with a fearsome set approaching and people scratching for the horizon, Shane Dorian and Healey took off together on what may have been the largest Waimea wave ever ridden. It was a time to recall the feats of Greg Noll, Pat Curren, Peter Cole and so many others from the Bay's glory days, and a true revival of the paddle-in mentality.
The following day, standing in front of a raucous, cheering crowd, Greg Long tried to explain what this victory meant to him and his career: "I've been following this contest since I was 12 years old," Long explained. "I've had every single poster from Brock Little to Bruce Irons on my wall. To be standing up here is a dream come true for me. I'm just standing here in awe."
At any other surf contest, Long's statement might be characterized as melodramatic or even a bit excessive. At the Eddie, it made perfect sense.
-
