Rip Curl Eddie Aikau Confirms List Of Invitees + Alternates 

Earlier this year Rip Curl doubled-down on pure surf, signing 8x world champ Steph Gilmore on an 8-year $4M AUD deal and committing a tidy sum to sponsor surfing’s most iconic event — Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational held at Waimea Bay.

As the North Shore readies for its winter, the official website has confirmed their list of 74 invitees and alternates. 

The last time the Eddie ran was on January 22, 2023, where it was taken out by on-duty lifeguard Luke Shepardson, who used his shift breaks to muscle 40-ft peaks with aplomb. Afterwards, the public servant received a meagre $10K USD cheque and 350,000 Hawaiian Airlines Miles for his efforts, causing fans to set up a pay-what-you-can Venmo to raise funds for the low-key action hero given short shrift.

“Waimea is so special because it’s the original big wave spot. It stands the test of time. It’s still just as gnarly as it ever has been. The day of the Eddie I wasn’t able to get the full day off. The vacation calendar was full and I would’ve gotten in big trouble. I was able to get a few hours of leave to surf my heats. Really I was in work mode, and my heats were just breaks where I could go catch a few waves. It was as beautiful as big Waimea gets.”

– Luke Shepardson, 2023 Eddie Aikau winner

John Florence netted $75,000 for his Eddie win in 2016 (the second-last time the event ran), demonstrating the colossal impact of Quiksilver’s departure – the event’s former headline sponsor. Still with a massively stripped back broadcast, the last Eddie drew a live audience of over 50k people, clogging up the Kam Highway for several miles, while the YouTube stream capped out at 2 million views. 

In the aftermath, Luke trended on google search, his name splashed across non-endemic headlines from the NY Times to the Washington Post. He even had his own day named after him, recognized by Hawaii’s government.

It’s hard to overstate the cultural significance of the heritage event, which has only run 10 times since its inception in 1985. Other past winners include: Denton Miyamura, Clyde Aikau, Keone Downing, Noah Johnson, Ross Clarke-Jones, Kelly Slater, Bruce Irons, Greg Long and John John Florence.