[UPDATED: Event Called Off] 'Eddie Would Go': With Monster Swell Scheduled to Hit, Big-Wave Surfing Event May Run Today

By Chasen Marshall Thu., Jan. 20 2011 at 10:58 AM

Categories: Sports, Wax On, Wax Off

Pin It

Sharing a Waimea Bay monster.

Update, 11 a.m.: Event manager Glen Moncata just made the call that today is "not an Eddie day." The decision was based on inconsistent sets and waves not quite the size that he and contest director George Downing deemed appropriate for making the event run-ready.

Original Post, 9:51 a.m.: "The Eddie," as it's commonly known in surfing circles, may be going live today. The saying has long been that "the bay will call the day," and with 30- to 40-foot faces anticipated to be crashing through Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu, today may be that day.

Quiksilver would prefer it be known as "The Quiksilver," but it ain't. And it won't be. Regardless, 26th Annual Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau is looming. Contest officials are waiting for sunrise to make the call of whether to run the event or not.

Greg Long, furthering his reputation as a big-wave badass.

If it runs, you'll want to have your computer monitor tuned in to the live webcast. There are few more incredible spectacles then men riding giant surfboards (in the 9-to-11-foot range), trying to muscle their way into large and powerful moving mounds of water. In the span of minutes, legends can be made and egos shattered--along with bones and surfboards.

San Clemente's Greg Long is the defending champ after securing a perfect 100-point score on a late-heat wave in the finals last year. He took home a check for $55,000 for his efforts.

The Eddie isn't a once-every-year event. It only runs when the wave faces meet or exceed a specific height barrier, which tends to be around 30 feet--think three-to-four-story building. With the ability to forecast swells days in advance, the call will go out to the 28 invited surfers, and they'll catch flights from all corners of the globe in order to be ready for a sunrise start. The event lasts just one day.

This year's event is expected to carry extra weight with the recent tragic passing of Kauai's Andy Irons. Irons was a regular competitor in the Eddie.

Eddie Aikau was a renowned big-wave surfer and lifeguard who passed away during an attempted Hawaii-to-Tahiti voyage in 1978 on a double-hull voyaging canoe. He was 32.

Sometimes things go wrong, like on this air-drop for Kohl Christensen.

Like this Story?

Sign up for the Weekly Newsletter: Our weekly feature stories, movie reviews, calendar picks and more - minus the newsprint and sent directly to your inbox.