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Big Wave Invitational
If you`re an experienced surfer, or regularly check for the latest surfing news on the net, then you are likely at some point to have come across a mention of legendary surfing Hawaiian, Eddie Aikau.
Born on 4th May 1946, Edward Aikau was the third of six children to a Hawaiian family. He was a pioneering lifeguard, a big-wave rider, all round waterman and a Hawaiian traditionalist. His legendary status is as a result of him being lost at sea during a voyage in 1978, when the double-hull voyaging canoe Hokule`a, in which he was passenger, capsized in storm sized seas in the Molokai Channel, en-route to Tahiti on the 17th March 1978. Aikau was never seen again.
The Quiksilver, Big Wave Invitational In Memory of Eddie Aikau, was created in 1985 by Quiksilver`s Bruce Raymond and Bob McKnight to create a true classic surfing event to honor Eddie. The competition takes place on just 1 day within a specified holding period. This year the holding period was 4th December 2008 to 28th February 2009. The competition takes place when open ocean swell heights reach the required minimum of 20 feet. The decision to hold the event is based upon long-range ocean and weather forecasts and of course the conditions at hand. If one full day of giant waves with favourable surface conditions does not occur during the designated period, the event will not be held, which means waiting 12 months for the next big wave season to roll around.
Depending upon the conditions, competitors ride three or four waves per heat in each round. Their four best scoring waves at the end of two rounds make up their total score. Past champions include world champion Kelly Slater (Florida), Bruce Irons (Kauai, HI), Ross Clarke-Jones (Australia), and Aikau`s younger brother Clyde. No-one has ever won the event twice, and given the strict wave height requirement, the event has only been held a total of seven times in 23 years.
Unlike most of today`s big-wave events, The Quiksilver, Big Wave Invitational In Memory of Eddie Aikau remains true to big-wave riding`s roots and does not allow the use of jet-ski`s to tow riders into the waves. Competitors must paddle themselves into heaving mountains of water, up to six-stories high, under their own arm power, then successfully make the drop and ride out the thundering waves.
Just as Hawaii is considered the birth-place of surfing, Waimea Bay stands as the birth-place of big-wave riding. In spite of a half-century of global surf searching, `The Bay` still stands today as one of the world`s most challenging big wave venues. Waimea was where Aikau worked as the Bay`s first lifeguard, saving countless lives.
January 2002 saw surfing`s greatest modern competitor, Kelly Slater, together with his fellow invitees, put on the finest exhibition of big wave paddle-in surfing in recent memory. The 4 surfers who contested the final, finished within four points of each other, reflecting the overall high performance of the athletes. Victory came as a surprise to Slater, and even he who has won nine world professional surfing titles (and counting) found himself overwhelmed by the honor of this award. `Coming from Florida, I never thought I`d be a big wave surfer,` he said. `When I think how many good big wave riders there are in the world, and how few get a chance to go in this event I m sure I`ll look back on this with pride.`
While the bay didn`t produce the goods this winter, this is sure to be one to watch next Winter!
Bigsurf.ie
