"The Eddie" surfing competition honors Hawaiian lifeguard

Big-wave competitors attempt to grab a wave at Waimea Bay yesterday.

FOR A FEW brief hours, the eyes of the surfing world were on the North Shore of Oahu where the "The Eddie" big-wave competition was being held. 

Conditions need to be just right for the Eddie Aikau competition to be called. Consistent wave faces of at least 30 feet in Waimea Bay throughout the day.

Eddie Aikau

In over 30 years, those requirements have only been met 9 times, including Thursday, Feb. 25. The event was last held in 2009.

The competition is named after Eddie Aikau, a legendary Hawaiian lifeguard who was lost at sea. In 1978, the 31-year-old Aikau joined an expedition to sail a replica of an old Polynesian canoe 2,500 miles to Tahiti. During the trip the canoe sprung a leak. Aikau pulled off his jacket and paddled for help. He was never seen again.

He was the North Shore's first official lifeguard. With more than 10 years in the lifeguard tower at Waimea Bay, making over 500 rescues with no loss of life on his watch.

Elite surfers from around the globe grabbed their boards and hopped on planes when organizers gave the green light for the event earlier in the week, despite the fact that it could be canceled at any time. 

Within hours of the organizers' announcement, thousands of onlookers descended on Waimea Bay where the Super Bowl of surfing was being held.
Clyde Aikau, 66, Eddie's younger brother, was the sentimental favorite. He won the event back in 1986 using his big brother's surfboard. This  year, he ended up in the 20th spot before announcing his retirement from professional surfing.

Hawaii's John John Florence, who wasn't even born when the contest began, won the $75,000 first place prize. For years, the 23-year old has been tabbed the next great surfer in the world, and on Thursday, Feb. 25, the Haleiwa native sealed the deal by winning big-wave surfing’s most prestigious contest.

Those in the competition will all tell you, they do it to honor the greats who preceded them led by Eddie Aikau. Around the beaches of the North Shore, you'll see an occasional beat-up, faded bumper sticker. It says simply, "Eddie Would Go."

Watch Kala Alexander and Makuakai Rothmans collide in one of the

bigger waves at this year's Eddie.

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