The Eddie is a famed surf competition that is held on Waimea Bay, Oahu, Hawaii in honor of the late North Shore lifeguard Eddie Aikau who unfortunately lost his own life to save a drowning swimmer. Since his death in 1974, only 11 competitions in his honor have been held. This is because in order for the event to be held, the conditions have to be just right– there needs to be a “Hawaiian 20″ (or a 50-foot wave anywhere else). The competition needs to be held on one day between December 14 and January 13, when the waves are at peak condition. This season, the competition was held on December 22.
Eddie’s brother, Clyde Aikau, the contest organizer, calls the competition “on”when the waves are big enough. This year, 45 men and women waited by the TV for the okay to hop on a plane to Oahu and compete. Surfers from the shores of Waimea to Chile and South Africa traveled to Hawaii to showcase their surfing talent and proudly honor Eddie Aikau. According to the event’s website over 2 million viewers from 195 countries tuned in to watch this spectacular feat, and tens of thousands of spectators traveled to the tip of the island to experience the “Super Bowl of Surfing” up close.
In many surf competitions, like Olympic surfing, there are quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. In the Eddie, there is none of that because there is no elimination. Instead, each of the 28 surfers surfs twice in 2 separate rounds, in 7-man heats. Surfers can surf up to 4 waves per heat. Judges score a surfer’s performance on a scale of 1-100, and his/her score at the end of the day is made up of his/her top 4 scores. Wave choice is also a scoring point. Judges have to score a surfer’s wave along with his/her ride and take into account the size, risk, and control. This year, the champion was Landon McNamara , a North Shore native raised next to the waves. He won with a perfect wave score and was the first ever goofy footer (left foot in back) to win .
In honor of Eddie, at every competition, spectators carry water bottles, hats, and t-shirts that say “Eddie Would Go.” This iconic phrase was coined at the very first competition. Organizers were wary of the conditions because the waves were bigger than usual and dangerous. Pro surfer Mark Foo looked at the conditions and said, “Eddie would go,” and the phrase stuck.
No one surfed like Eddie,” remembers Clyde Aikau. “He would take off on a huge scary wave, and he’d be sliding down it with the biggest smile you ever saw. The rest of us were nervous. Eddie belonged there; it was his home.”
