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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."
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.
