The majority of people who surf have heard of Hawaii's famous North Shore, miles upon miles of incredible surf breaks. However, not everyone knows about the importance of a particular break: Waimea Bay.  It is here that each year 28 specially invited big wave surfers come together to mark the opening of Quiksilver's “The Eddie”.
 
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Back in the 60s and 70s there was a young man called Eddie Aikau, who was born and raised on the Hawaiian island of Oahu. Eddie loved the ocean and he loved people.  He became the first lifeguard for the infamous North Shore, and was stationed at Waimea Bay.  He saved countless lives by paddling into Waimea's powerful waves on his massive longboard and pulling people to safety. Eddie also loved surfing big waves, really big waves- 20ft plus Hawaiian sized, ie 35ft plus face height


 
However, tragedy struck in 1978 when Eddie was lost at sea.  He had attempted to paddle for help for the crew he was part of on the polynesian boat "the Hokule'a" that had capsized.  The crew was eventually rescued, but Eddie was never found.  Eddie dedicated his life to helping people, and was lost at far to young an ages.  So in honour of what he lived for, every year “the Eddie” is ceremonially opened



“The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau” is not an ordinary surf event.  It is only held at Waimea Bay, only allows invited surfers to compete, and only runs if there is 8 hours of consistent swell.  This swell needs to be 25ft+ Hawaiian scale of wave and ridable.  In order to make sure that time is given for these special conditions to arrive, a long waiting period is run from 1 December 2010 to 28 February 2011.  All 28 surfers would be given 24 hours notice that the event may go ahead.

 
The event has only run 8 times in the past 25 years that it has run.  On Tuesday 8th December 2009 the Eddie ran, and Greg Long became the new champion.  Previous winners are Bruce Irons-04', Kelly Slater-01', Ross Clark-Jones-00', Noah Johnson-98', Keone Downing-89', Clyde Aikau-86' and Denton Miyamura-84'.
 
To see if the event runs this winter season look for updates on http://theeddie.quiksilver.com and hold your breath if it does start- it is one of the most amazing sights.... massive Waimea Bay, enormous waves, and one tiny guy charging down the face of it.