Mason Ho Might Surf in The Eddie

The invitee list for The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau have been released. The most interesting thing about the list is that Mason Ho has been picked by the Aikau family as the first alternate, meaning that he’ll almost definitely get a start in the event, if it runs. The contest hasn’t run since 2009/2010, as it takes a legit 20ft ‘hawaiian’ swell to get the green light, and those swells don’t light up the bay as frequently as you might imagine. We can only speculate as to the politics that circle the selection process for the Eddie, but here’s the guys who’ll be blowing the dust off the rhino chasers if a suitable blob pops up this winter. The 2015/2016 Invitees: Aaron Gold Albee Layer Bruce Irons Clyde Aikau Dave Wassel Garrett McNamara Grant Baker Greg Long Ian Walsh Jamie Mitchell Jamie O’Brien Jeremy Flores John John Florence Kala Alexander Kelly Slater Kohl Christensen Makua Rothman Mark Healey Nathan Fletcher Noah Johnson Peter Mel Ramon Navarro Reef McIntosh Ross Clarke-Jones Shane Dorian Sunny Garcia Takayuki Wakita Tom Carroll Official Alternates (in seeding order): Mason Ho (Aikau Pick) Danilo Couto Mark Matthews Koa Rothman Ben Wilkinson Jamie Sterling Billy Kemper Shawn Dollar Carlos Burle Kealii Mamala Gabriel Villaran Michael Ho Kai Lenny Kahea Hart Nathan Florence Damien Hobgood Kalani Chapman Ryan Hipwood Danny Fuller Nic Lamb Anthony Tashnick Rusty Long Derek Dunfee Brock Little Event past winners: 1984/1985: Denton Miyamura (Haw) 1986/1987: Clyde Aikau (Haw) 1989/1990: Keone Downing (Haw) 1998/1999: Noah Johnson (Haw) 2000/2001: Ross Clarke-Jones (Aus) 2004/2005: Bruce Irons (Haw) 2001/2002: Kelly Slater (USA) 2009/2010: Greg Long (USA)