A day of Heroics, a day of Brutality - Eddy Aikau Wipeouts.
Slater, Florence, Mitchel, those are just three of the guys who paddled out there on a day that shall go down in history as one of the most insane competition days ever. Waves as high as four story buildings rolling into Waimea Bay, and only rule was that surfers had to paddle in. Jet ski's were on hand for rescues, but no tow-ins.
That means late takeoffs, big drops and our favourite, long freefalls from lips higher than the ledges some base jumpers leap off. There were crashes, jet ski's running for their lives, and a beach full of spectators cheering their hearts out as these surfers put everything on the line for one of the most prestigious titles in the WSL.
So who was it all for? One guy, Eddit Aikau, walked onto Waimea Bay beach in the 1970s as their very first lifeguard. He saved over 500 people, and not one person was lost on Waimea Beach during his time in service. He was famous for heading out in unbelievable swell, well in excess of 10m high to perform a rescue, spawning the popular saying 'Eddie Would go'.
That phrase has spread all over the world through surfing culture, thrown out when anybody is considering staying on the beach due to the conditions. At 31 years of age, Eddy volunteers to crew on a 4000km paddle from Hawaii to Tahiti. Off the island of Molokai, their canoe developed a leak and Eddie took it upon himself to grab his surfboard and start paddling the 19km to get help. He was never seen again, and the only trace anybody found was his life jacket, cast away moments after leaving the boat because it hindered his paddling.
In memory of Eddy, 28 big wave surfers paddled out in Waimea Bay this week, and put on the most spectacular display of big wave surfing that we'll see in a very long time. Check out the highlights reel below.
Subiaco, WA
