The Eddie Can Go

Read our Stab Interview with last year’s Eddie Winner — who was arrested one day after his maiden victory — here.

All photos by Bielmann(s).

Our next event needs little introduction. 

Despite rarely running, having no fixed date when it does, and sometimes offering little-to-no prize money, the Rip Curl Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational is the rarest, most prestigious and highly coveted win in all of surfing. The Eddie window for 2025-2026 spans December 7 to March 6, and the contest was officially opened at Waimea Bay yesterday for what could potentially be the first occasion the Eddie runs three calendar years in a row.

While casual surf fans think T-shirts and bumper stickers when they hear Eddie Would Go — and “the bay calls the day” sits alongside  “you’ve got to win it to ring it” on page one of surfing’s Big Book Of Over-Used Phrases — the lustre of The Eddie lies in the intangible magic that far outweighs the hyperbole. Yes, the field is made up of gladiators battling it out for pride more than prizemoney, and yes, the latest incarnation of the trophy is a forged steel pitchfork made of waves, but if a surfing event declares it will only ever be called on when conditions hit 40 feet, and then stands so strictly by its moral code that it only runs 11 times in its 41-year history, commercial implications be damned, then maybe, just this once, the cliches can be given a little leeway. The North Shore is surfing’s ultimate proving ground, remember. Sorry, last one. 

“The Eddie brings the North Shore community and the big wave surfing community together more than anything else on earth,” says photographer Brent Bielmann, who has shot every opening ceremony since 2004; “the year that Bruce won”. Back then Brent was just 17 and tagging along with his uncle — Hawaiian hall-of-fame lensman Brian Bielmann — to gain access and try to find an angle, but now that he’s covering the event for presenting sponsor Rip Curl it feels as though things have come full circle. 

“We shot the opening ceremony together today,” says Brent, who was running around Waimea’s calf-swallowing sand all afternoon with Uncle Brian. “I used to be his assistant, but now he’s my assistant. We were laughing about it all day.”

As always, a large number of the world’s most respected big wave surfers, whether coming down the bike path, or flying (or sailing…) from the other side of the planet, made their way to the Bay for the opening celebrations. While the past three winners, Landon McNamara, Luke Shepardson and John John Florence headlined the guestlist, there was one notable absentee, with The Eddie’s talisman Clyde Aikau passing away in May this year. Clyde won the second edition of the Eddie in 1986 and kept competing until 2016, when he surfed in the event for the final time, aged 66. If Eddie Aikau’s self-sacrifice is the headline, Clyde’s devotion to the event bearing his brother’s name is the legend that keeps it alive.

“Clyde was the glue,” says Bielmann, “the cornerstone of The Eddie. It’s the first year without him here. It’s heartbreaking, but it was also so impactful to see (his son) Ha’a Aikau up there, standing up to fill that role.”

“It was really moving hearing Ha’a speak on behalf of Uncle Clyde,” says long time competitor Mason Ho. “It felt like a passing of the torch of some sort. It was definitely a little sad, Uncle Clyde was our hero, but it was really beautiful because everyone was cheering for him out there, and there were a lot of nice stories shared.” 

According to Bielmann, of the 32 invitees and 28 alternates, “only a couple couldn’t make it.” This probably has something to do with the Eddie’s lineup being 69% Hawaiian — the highest percentage in recent history. “The turnout was great,” Brent continues, “there were even a ton of spectators.”

Keen eyes will note that Waimea was breaking, meaning that certain stretches of the North Shore would have been firing. Surely that made the surfers’ necks start to itch? “No,” says Bielmann, firmly. “It’s such an honour to be invited to The Eddie, whether you’re an invitee or alternate. There are going to be plenty more days in the season, and there are a ton of other surfers wishing they would be on that list and who would give anything to be there, that nobody was in a rush to leave.” 

While the three previous winners are all in their early 30s (Landon, Luke and John), there’s a large generational gap to the next set of champs. Greg Long won in 2009, surfed the two subsequent editions then selflessly declared before last year’s event that it would be his last, preferring to step aside at 41 and let somebody else have a go. When Long injured his knee during his first heat he called time then and there, allowing long-time alternate Ben Wilkinson the chance to compete and earn himself the Mark Foo Spirit Award in the process. 

“Winning in 2009 was the apex of my surfing life,” said the ever classy Long onstage at the time. “But more than that the greatest accomplishment was partaking in this event, the greatest surfing and sporting event in the world. Some of my greatest memories have been surfing here in Hawaii, and remembering Eddie Aikau and his spirit and his legacy. He was a great surfer, but he was an exemplary human being who cared about his family and gave his life in service of others, and that legacy continues to live on. As much as I recall seeing my name on the invitee list, I look forward to seeing that young, aspiring big wave surfing grom whose name shows up on that list next year.”

Bruce Irons famously won The Eddie in 2004, and although he has been a staple on the invite list ever since, after not competing in the last two editions, the 46-year-old’s name is sadly absent from the roster this time around. 

Kelly Slater, winner of the 2002 Eddie, also sat out the last two editions, though he has been active around the various opening ceremonies and festivities, and always treats the event with the utmost of reverence and respect. Now 53, you’d imagine Kelly will be invited till the day he’s finally cryogenically frozen and stowed away, and given a 30-year body of evidence, it’d be safe to assume that if Kelly’s feeling it he won’t be able to help himself from pulling on a jersey, especially given nobody has yet won The Eddie twice. 

2001 winner Ross Clarke-Jones is potentially already frozen in a box somewhere, but we all know he’ll be thawed out and will paddle out for years to come. Beyond RCJ the event’s four other champions are Noah Johnson, Keone Downing, Clyde Aikau and Denton Miyamura, none of whom have been sighted in recent editions. 

Of those who are competing in 2026, who should we be looking out for? “From a technical standpoint,” says Bielmann, “Luke Shepardson has this wave dialed. He knows exactly where to sit, next to the boil where he chips in. He makes it look so easy.”

“Same with John John. We all know he’s the best surfer in the world, but I feel like sometimes he gets underscored because he makes it look so easy, whereas other guys are making it look dramatic. He picks the perfect line, and even when his fins disengage from the face and he’s freefalling, he’s so calm, and in such control, that the crazy factor gets taken out.”

The event format changes slightly with every outing, and this time is no different. While last year saw 45 surfers in action across 10, hour-long, nine-surfer heats, with everyone surfing twice, the numbers have been reduced in 2025-2026, and 32 surfers will now surf in two, hour-long, eight surfer heats — meaning eight total heats for the day.  

While Brent will have the best seat in the house to soak in the action, shooting either from the comfort of a beachfront mansion or the terrifying back of a ski, does he have any inside advice on where a punter should aim to park-up if they’re lucky enough to be in the 808 when the Eddie goes? 

“You want to be on the guard rail. The beach is awesome, but if you can get a bit further up the hill you get that slightly better vantage point.” As Brent points out though, whatever happens you need to get there early. Like, night before early. “If the Eddie is on, the North Shore shuts down, the roads shuts down, the island shuts down. Cruise in on a bike or skateboard only, It’s the best.”

A few more shots from today’s service, courtesy of the Bielmanns.