Somehow, he was inferior in his homeland. He was just a low-key native Hawaiian, living in a secluded house next to a Chinese graveyard, having fun in monstrous waves, and saving the lives of beachgoers. But he was never seen again.īefore his death, Eddie Aikau was the anti-star. On March 17, 1978, the boat capsized 20 miles west of Lanai, and the crew lost all provisions and telecommunications.Īikau decided to paddle his board toward Lanai to get help. The Hawaiian surfer lifeguard joined the Hokulea, a 60-foot replica of a Polynesian voyaging canoe, for a 2,400-mile sailing journey from Hawaii to Tahiti, using ancient navigational techniques only. The friendly yet shy regular-footer becomes a six-time Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship finalist and wins the event in 1977. He had a relaxed and unique bow-legged stance and rode giant waves with his arms often nearly fully extended. I fear to walk in the streets," the Hawaiian told a South African newspaper before flying home.Īikau was Waimea Bay's first lifeguard, and while on duty, he made over 500 and lost zero souls to drowning in the high surf. "The color problem in South Africa, man, is really heavy. So, Eddie stayed in a beachfront apartment alongside Shaun and Ernie Tomson. He was supposed to meet Bill Hamilton and Jeff Hakman at the Durban's Malibu Hotel, but the concierge didn't allow him to enter the building. In 1972, Aikau was invited to participate in the Gunston 500. In 1966, the Catholic-raised Hawaiian surfed Waimea Bay for the first time for six straight hours and caught over a dozen 20-foot waves. Eddie surfed and tamed Waimea Bay, one of the biggest waves in the world, better than anyone.īut, for a long time, he was just a dark-skinned, low-profile wave rider, unwanted in the ever-growing tourist areas of Waikiki. The pureblood Hawaiian defined big wave surfing's early days, especially in the 1970s. It has a meaning and a consequence.Įddie Aikau was a Hawaiian big wave surfer and North Shore of Oahu lifeguard. For the rest of his life he’ll be on the Winners List for the most coveted big wave event in surfing, right there alongside Kelly Slater and John John and Greg Long – Luke Shepardson, the kid who grew up on The North Shore and beat all the big names from Hawaii and around the world in The Eddie."Eddie Would Go" is one of the most popular and famous expressions in surf culture. Maybe he’ll use the result to hustle a better sponsor and make more of his surfing career, but it won’t matter if he doesn’t. Next week he might be back on the beach, pulling mums from Minnesota out of the Waimea shorey, but for today Luke Shepardson is ‘King of the Bay’. There is no suggestion that it influenced the final decision, but the fact that Shepardson, like Eddie before him, is a lifeguard certainly has a nice symmetry to it. Honolulu City & County Lifeguard Luke Shepardson wins the 2023 Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational Championship ▪️ caught up with the champ following the announcement Stay 2/ #KHON2 for more coverage throughout the evening □□ /ecWT1OnTot- Rob DeMello January 23, 2023
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