Grab Your Plus-Sized Leashes And An Extra Bar Of Wax, The Eddie Could Go Early Next Week

It’s holiday time and we’ve all got stockings to fill, so here’s a very brief update on surfing’s most prominent event. 

Thanks to a large, mustard-colored stain (on the models, at least—in reality, it’s a bunch of dark clouds and wind) in the northern Pacific, the Eddie Aikau Invitational at Waimea Bay might run for the first time since 2016 as soon as this Tuesday. 

Surfline is currently calling for the 17ft @ 18-second swell to hit Oahu’s North Shore on Monday eve and build throughout the night, peaking sometime early Tuesday and dropping throughout the day. 

According to Hawaii News Now, event organizers gave the comp a “yellow light” on Friday morning, providing the invited surfers time to prepare for an official call, which should happen sometime on Sunday. 

Now, the prestige of The Eddie cannot be overstated. In its three-plus decades of existence, the Waimea-based event has only run nine times, due to event organizers’ strict rules in relation to swell size (it needs to be hunormous). Past winners include: Clyde Aikau (Eddie’s brother), Kelly Slater, Bruce Irons, and John Florence (who will have to decide if he wants to defend his 2016 title with a bum knee). 

This year, The Eddie’s invitee list includes four women (Emi Erickson, Andrea Moller, (recent Jaws winner) Paige Alms, and Keala Kennelly) plus five other female alternates. While the official Eddie website doesn’t state this explicitly, it appears men and women will compete in the same division. 

This is also the first year that The Eddie will run without the help of long-time sponsor Quiksilver, who pulled out of the event due to financial concerns following the spectacle of 2016. The comp is now sponsored by Kamehameha Schools, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and Waimea Valley.

We’ll keep you updated on the official call. 

Here’s a full list of the invitees and alternates:

Invitees

Aaron Gold
Andrea Moller
Ben Wilkinson
Billy Kemper
Bruce Irons
Danilo Couto
Dave Wassel
Eli Olson
Emi Erickson
Grant Baker
Greg Long
Ian Walsh
Jamie O’Brien
Jamie Mitchell
John John Florence
Kai Lenny
Keala Kennelly
Keali‘i Mamala
Kelly Slater
Koa Rothman
Landon McNamara
Lucas Chianca
Luke Shepardson
Makuakai Rothman
Mark Healey
Mason Ho
Nathan Florence
Nathan Fletcher
Paige Alms
Ross Clarke-Jones
Shane Dorian
Tikanui Smith

Male Alternates

Tyler Larronde
Kyle Shipman
Kohl Christensen
Chris Bertish
Chris Owens
Mike Pietsch
Torrey Meister
Alex Martins
Ryan Seelbach
Matt Bromley
Reef McIntosh
Ezekiel Lau
Jamie Sterling

Female Alternates

Bianca Valenti
Raquel Heckert
Justine Dupont
Silvia Nabuco
Laura Enever

Legends

Derek Ho
Garrett McNamara
Jeff Clark
Mike Ho
Mike Parsons
Peter Mel
Tom Carroll