Eddie Aikau – The Surfer

Eddie Aikau was born on Maui, where his father would take the kids down to Kahului Harbor with his old redwood surfboard. The family later moved to Oahu in 1959, where Eddie and younger brother Clyde made themselves boards from marine ply and began surfing the Waikiki Wall. By the age of 16, Eddie had left school and was working at the Dole pineapple cannery, earning enough money to buy his first real board.

Aikau’s first experience in bigger waves came through John Kelly and Sammy Lee, who took him out to Sunset and then Waimea Bay. All the great big-wave riders of the day were out, but Eddie dominated the lineup from start to finish. Photos from that day appeared in Life magazine, and suddenly Eddie was a star.

Through the ’70s, Aikau cemented his reputation as the undisputed master of big Hawaiian surf, winning the Duke Classic at Sunset Beach in 1977 and scoring many other high placings. Aikau was one of Hawai’i's first professional surfers, ranked No. 12 on the inaugural ASP World Tour in 1976.

Where he really shined was in the big surf. “Eddie was born to ride gigantic waves,” Clyde Aikau said. “Surfing Waimea Bay, I would categorize him as confident, fearless and calculated. He didn’t like surfing the tour at all,” Clyde said. “The waves were small at a lot of places around the world, and big waves was his thing.”

After his death, “The Eddie” a big wave invitational was formed in his honor. The tournament has a precondition that open-ocean swells reach a minimum of 20 feet (this translates to a wave face height of over 30 feet). The contest only invites 24 big-wave riders to participate in two rounds of competition, and does not allow the use of jet skis to tow surfers into the waves. The event started in 1984, and is still considered the most recognized and prestigious big-wave contest in the world.

Some surfers become great, and few become heroes. Eddie Aikau became a hero and a legend.