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Mark Healey: "To me it’s the biggest honor in big wave surfing, and also in being a waterman. Probably my most proud moniker is an Eddie Aikau invitee. Very stoked to be a part of it, and associate my name with such a legend, even in a small way."
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Nathan Fletcher: "To be a part of the celebration of Eddie Aikau’s life is the biggest honor in big wave surfing."
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Reef McIntosh: "Growing up in Hawaii, I didn’t really care about being on the world tour. I wanted to surf with all the legends that have been in this event since it started. I mean, you know the Eddie story, but you don’t really know it. It’s such an honor to be associated with him and the entire Aikau family. It’s a blessing."
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Ian Walsh: "It's a huge honor to be involved in this. The Eddie means so much to so many people here, myself included."
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Sunny Garcia: "The Eddie is the most important event in big-wave surfing. It's such a great way to honor everything Eddie did."
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Alex Gray: "Being invited to the Eddie is a huge honor. He symbolized so much, and it's important to keep it all alive. It's such a great celebration of his life and everything that he did."
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Peter Mel: "It changes every year. The first time I was so excited to be accepted as a big wave rider. Now it’s become what it’s really about. It’s about family and honoring what we do. Even in the broader picture of life in general. Eddie being a hero and passing away the way he did… you know, that’s probably what we all want to do in our lives. We honor that because of what it is and what it means. We’re honoring Eddie and this valley and the spirit of surfing. It’s so much bigger than me in this jersey and going out in 20-foot surf. It’s so much bigger than that. It’s about life."
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Rusty Long: It’s such an honor to be on the list for the Eddie. It’s a dream when you’re a kid, and especially when you’re getting into big wave surfing. Everything this event represents… it’s so important to have events like this in the world to pass on messages like Eddie’s. To be part of it is such an honor.
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Kai Lenny: "I was so blown away when my dad told me that I was an alternate. Growing up, Eddie was one of my biggest heroes. It’s always been a dream of mine to be included. All kids have that hero, and Eddie was a hero to me. He embodied that superhero. Just to be on the list is unbelievable. To be alongside with the others on this list is mind-blowing. Just to be here as an alternate is the biggest honor for me."
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Shane Dorian: "It was always a childhood dream of mine, and just to even be invited is the hugest honor."
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Ross Clark-Jones: "After 28 years, it still as special as the first time, if not more special the older you get. I was one of the youngest 28 years ago, and now I’m one of the oldest. But I feel like I can still have a crack at it, and I’m so happy to be in it."
On March 17, 1978, Eddie Aikau paddled away from the Hokule’a, a Polynesian voyaging canoe, after it capsized in heavy seas. He paddled away to get help for the crew, and in doing so, paddled into a place reserved for legends. Eddie Aikau was never seen again.
The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau big wave invitational is celebrated each year to honor his accomplishments, not just in surfing, but in life. The world’s best big wave surfers are invited to Waimea Beach where, if waves break the twenty-foot mark, they honor Eddie’s life by surfing the waves that he loved.
All the invitees hold a certain reverence for Eddie. The respect they have not only for him, but for his entire family, is wordlessly conveyed through quiet reflection and a strange mix of sadness and happiness. Above is what a few of the world’s best had to say about the event, Eddie, and what it means to them.
Nainoa Thompson was the last person to speak to Aikau that day back in 1978. A fellow crewman on the Hokule’a, Thompson addressed the surfers and spectators who gathered at Waimea. His words were full of admiration, gratitude, and more than anything else, respect. “Every voyage we make is in the wake of Eddie Aikau’s greatness,” said Nainoa Thompson, master navigator of the Hokule’a voyaging canoe.
The holding period for the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau is underway, running from December 1, 2013, through February 28, 2014.
