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)