It has been announced that the Quiksilver Eddie Aikau Memorial for 2013/2014 has now passed without going ahead, because the required 40 feet (wave face) swell never materialised during the events waiting period. In fact although the memorial competition has been running for 29 years it has only ever been held 8 times in its history.
It would be of great surprise if anyone in the world of Surfing hadn’t heard of Eddie Aikau, but for the uninitiated out there, Eddie was a well-known and well-loved lifeguard and surfer from Hawaii, who is credited with saving a great many lives. When he was just 31 years old Eddie joined an ill-fated trip that was due to trace the route of a Polynesian migration, but the boat got into difficulties.
Springing a leak and subsequently capsizing, the boat looked doomed. Selflessly, Eddie volunteered to paddle for help on his surfboard, and after setting off with good intentions, he was never seen again.
To commemorate Eddie’s life and heroic actions, it was decided in 1985 The Eddie Aikau Memorial competition would be held to celebrate his life. To this day and the whole world over, the phrase “Eddie Would Go” remains a testament to the respect the surfing community has for him.
And so, we now wait until December 1st 2015 for the next waiting period to begin and for a chance for the 30th Eddie Aikau event to go ahead. To keep up to speed with details for the Eddie Aikau Memorial keep an eye on the Quiksilver page and to discover more about this inspirational man, make sure you watch the official trailer for the ESPN movie The Legend of Eddie Aikau below.
