Rip Curl Eddie Aikau Contest Director Says “Event Has 90% Chance Of Running This Sunday”
“I’d say the forecast looks promising” – John Florence.
Yesterday, during the finals of the Vans Pipe Masters, competitors of the prestigious Rip Curl Eddie Aikau Invitational received a IG DM informing them the event was on ‘yellow alert’ for this Sunday 22 December (HST).
On Nathan Florence’s pirate broadcast, hosted by the Florence clan along with Eli Olson and Koa Rothman, the 2024 World Champion, John Florence, described the chart readings as “promising.” For someone who rarely veers from his cool, understated demeanor, this was an unusually optimistic and exciting take.
So yes, we’ve been holding our breath.
Since the Eddie Aikau Invitational’s inception in 1985, the event has run only 10 times, and been won by 10 different surfers.
Previous winners include the likes of Denton Miyamura, Clyde Aikau, Keone Downing, Noah Johnson, Ross Clarke-Jones, Kelly Slater, Bruce Irons, Greg Long and John John Florence.
“All active past winners were invited,” Eddie Aikau Contest Director Liam McNamara told Stab, “that includes Greg Long, who announced it will be his last Eddie, Kelly Slater, and Bruce Irons, who’s been reactivating himself.”
Based on the current forecast, Liam estimated a 90% chance of the event running.
Key factors influencing the decision include swell size, direction, wind, and the timing of the event’s 8-hour window. The swell direction this year is expected to be north-northwest — according to Liam this is more favorable than 2023, which was “too west” — providing a larger playing field and opening up the coveted “deep chip shot into the bowl”.
Light onshore or side-shore winds are possible toward the end of the day, warned Liam.
Format
This year’s competition format includes 35 men and 10 women for a total of 45 participants, all of whom will compete against one another. There are five heats with nine surfers each, and each competitor surfs twice. Heats are 50 minutes long, with a maximum of four waves per surfer per heat. The top three waves count toward the final score. Each heat includes two women competing alongside seven men.
Prize money, contributed by all event sponsors, will be announced within 24 hours — as will the official call for the event.
The comp will be live-streamed free for all — through the Rogue TV app and (likely) on Youtube.
“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
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.
After the 2016 event, in which the winner John Florence netted a cool $75,000, the Eddie Aikau Foundation and longtime supporter of the event, Quiksilver, went their separate ways, leaving the event in a vulnerable financial position.
However, there was no way The Eddie was going to disappear, and in the six years afterwards, the Eddie Aikau Foundation (led by esteemed Aikau family members) was able to cobble a core group of supporting brands — enough to keep the event alive and well, but not enough to match the previous high-five-figure prize purse.
Thanks to Rip Curl, this will be the first time in eight years the event has a proper headline sponsor.
In 2023, sans a major sponsor and with a massively stripped back broadcast, the Eddie drew in a live audience of more than 50k people, clogging up the Kamehameha Highway for several miles, while the YouTube stream alone clocked out at 1.7 million views.
In the aftermath, Luke Shepardson 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.
After last year’s bare-bones event, Rip Curl has pulled the chair to the head of the table. Their first content piece, Stories From The Eddie, is an unfiltered look into the event’s lore and legacy and features confessionals from Mason Ho, Mark Healey, Landon McNamara, and Emily Erickson.
The Eddie has rarely ran in consecutive years, happening just twice: first in ’85 and ’86, and again in ’01 and ’02.
In ’86, it was won by Eddie’s brother Clyde, who — after some battling some health issues — showed up to this year’s opening ceremony (this past week) looking strong and in good spirits.
According to the fellas at Surfline, the current NNW swell that saw finals day of the VPM peakin’, will continue to linger and build until Monday. “At this point, local winds are looking light/variable. Outer reefs/Waimea only.”
As a side note: two people have already died this winter in Sharks Cove, right next to Waimea, one yesterday as the VPM Finals ran, due to heavy surf conditions.
As such: safety officials have urged caution. Per Honolulu Ocean Safety:
“Ocean Safety is preparing for extra-large surf conditions on the North and West shores of OÊ»ahu starting this Wednesday. Warning-level surf is expected to peak on Thursday, with another significant swell following closely behind.
“We strongly advise the public to maintain a safe distance from these shorelines during this time. Rogue waves may wash high up the beach or onto rocks, posing a serious hazard. Please follow all warnings from lifeguards and obey posted signage for your safety.”
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