The Eddie Invitational Returns (Sans Quiksilver)

Two years ago, it looked like John John Florence might be the last surfer to ever win ‘The Eddie’. A few months after John notched out his competitors at Waimea in 2016, Quiksilver and the Aikau family announced their split. A 31-year-long relationship which broke the hearts of the surfers and fans who pined a 20-ft Waimea swell every winter.  

Over one million viewers from 200 countries tuned into the 2016 stream. Big wave surfing might not typically garner the views of it’s performance-founded counterpart, but there’s something about The Eddie that’s incomparable and unmissable.  

While exact details around the split are scarce, sources and previous negotiations suggest they were primarily coin related. One source suggested the asking price from the Aikau’s was nearing the $1 million mark, a figure outside the grasp of a cash-strapped surf brand. 

Negotiations fell through, the Aikau’s promised to hold the event, but when finances and time restrictions combined, an independent Eddie Invitational was futile for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. 

Now, with new and local sponsors dipping into their pockets, The Eddie may* return. 

Kamehameha Schools, Waimea Valley, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA), L & L Hawaii, and Duke’s Hawaii are some of the new supporting partners.

The Eddie is therefore all prepped. The opening ceremony kicks off at 2:00pm, Thursday 29th with the waiting period running through until the 28th February 2019. And while this is promising, don’t get your hopes too high; The Eddie has only run nine times in its 34 years of existence and needs 20-ft plus of consistent waves to be called on.

That’s 20-foot Hawaiian too, none of that pathetic face-height shit the US mainlanders run-off.

While we wait (and hope), browse the competitors and alternate list below.

*Swell permitting. 

INVITEES:

Grant Baker
Lucas Chianca
Ross Clarke-Jones
Danilo Couto
Shane Dorian
Nathan Fletcher
John John Florence
Nathan Florence
Sunny Garcia
Aaron Gold
Mark Healey
Mason Ho
Bruce Irons
Billy Kemper
Keala Kennelly
Zeke Lau
Kai Lenny
Greg Long
Keali‘i Mamala
Garrett McNamara
Jamie Mitchell
Jamie O’Brien
Joel Parkinson
Makuakai Rothman
Koa Rothman
Kelly Slater
Takayuki Wakita
Ian Walsh
Dave Wassel

ALTERNATES:

Kyle Shipman
Michael Ho
Landon McNamara
Luke Shephardson
Ramon Navarro
Reef McIntosh
Kohl Christensen
Chris Owens
Tyler Laron
Ben Wilkinson
Kala Alexander
Rodrigo Koxa
Tom Carroll
Paige Alms (for Keala Kennelly)
Mark Matthews
Jamie Sterling
Shawn Dollar
Carlos Burle
Gabriel Villaran
Kahea Hart
Damien Hobgood
Kalani Chapman
Ryan Hipwood
Danny Fuller
Nic Lamb
Anthony Tashnick
Rusty Long
Derek Dunfee
Jeremy Flores
Noah Johnson
Peter Mel
Andrew Cotton
Duane DeSoto
Kainoa McGee
Ikaika Kalama
Tyler Fox
Brad Gerlach
Vincent Lartizen
Mike Parsons
Axi Muniain
Benjamin Sanchis
Damien Warr
Sebastian Steudtner
Eric Akiskalian
Dan Corbett
Francisco Porcella
Antonio Silva
Gautier Garanx
Antonio Balau
Mick Corbett
Jarryd Foster
Lance Hoʻokano
Rusty Keaulana
Hugo Vau
Pedro Scooby
Yuri Soledade
Trevor Sven Carlson