#Eddie aikau 2015 series

“What makes this contest the most unique is that it’s in memory of a particular individual who really has transcended his time and place when he lived,” said Coleman, who wrote “Eddie Would Go,” a biography of Aikau.Įdward Ryon Makuahanai Aikau rose to prominence as the first lifeguard hired by Honolulu to work on Oahu’s North Shore and was revered for saving over 500 people during his career. But author Stuart Coleman says The Eddie is distinguished by how it honors Eddie Aikau, a legendary Native Hawaiian waterman, for his selflessness, courage and sacrifice. “I want to praise every single contestant who paddled out because just paddling out today was a feat in itself, and congratulations to all the contestants.Other places around the world have big wave surfing events: Mavericks in California, Nazaré in Portugal and Peʻahi on Hawaii’s Maui Island. “I want to thank everyone for being here today,” Clyde Aikau, the competition director and brother of Eddie, said during the awards ceremony. The competition drew huge crowds, who were instructed to stay behind a yellow tape close to the shoreline to avoid being swept up in the dangerous swell.

#Eddie aikau 2015 series

The enormous waves at Waimea Bay produced a series of breath-taking, nerveless performances from those invited to take part in the Eddie this year. In 2016, Keala Kennelly became the first woman to be invited to the competition when she was named as an alternate. This year also saw women – six in total – take part in the competition for the first time, and it was Andrea Moller who made history as the first woman to catch a wave at the Eddie. He won $10,000 for taking first place with scores of 30.0, 30.0, and 29.1 across his three best waves, just shy of a perfect score of 90 points.įlorence finished with 84.2 points ahead of Mark Healey in third and Billy Kemper in fourth. How Maya Gabeira overcame a life-threatening accident to surf two record-breaking waves (Photo by Octavio Passos/Getty Images) Octavio Passos/Getty Images NAZARE, PORTUGAL - JANUARY 18: Brazilian big wave surfer Maya Gabeira, drops a wave during a surf session at Praia do Norte on Januin Nazare, Portugal.

No surfer has ever won the Eddie more than once.

Other past winners include surfing veterans Kelly Slater in 2002 and Ross Clarke-Jones, who competed again this year, in 2001. This was just the 10th time it has been held since its inception in 1987 and the first since 2016, when Florence took the title. The Eddie is only held when waves consistently reach a height of 20 feet during the winter months at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu. The 27-year-old accepted the award wearing his yellow lifeguard t-shirt and red board shorts, saying it was a “dream come true” simply to participate in the competition on Sunday. Luke Shepardson took approved breaks from his lifeguarding duty at Waimea Bay to compete in the event – affectionately known as the Eddie – and finished with a near-perfect score of 89.1 points, ahead of defending champion John John Florence in second. A local lifeguard in Hawaii was the surprise winner of the prestigious Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational – dubbed the “Super Bowl of surfing” – after beating off competition from some of the sport’s biggest names.