Surfers Return for Rare Big Wave Contest in Hawaii

Barry Sweet has a front-row seat to the spectacle of humanity that floods the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii, for the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational.https://wordpress.com/

“From early morning to the afternoon, it feels like a pilgrimage,” he said, describing the crowds drawn to the event, often referred to simply as “the Eddie.”

Barry watches the action alongside his wife, Janelle, and her sister, Deann Sakuoka, from the Pupukea Grill—a family-run food truck parked along the two-lane Kamehameha Highway. It’s just a 10-minute walk from Waimea Bay and one of the few dining options in the area.

When the Eddie is officially announced—typically just 48 hours before the competition—a prestigious list of 45 invitees and 25 alternates scrambles to make their way to Waimea Bay. This year, surfers from Australia, Brazil, France, Italy, South Africa, and Tahiti raced to arrange logistics in time for Sunday’s event.

They’re joined by tens of thousands of spectators who crowd the small beach and surrounding cliffs, many camping out as soon as the call is made. The only road leading to the bay, Kamehameha Highway, is gridlocked before sunrise.

Unlike most big-wave competitions, which have flexible scheduling, the Eddie is famously unpredictable. Its holding period spans mid-December to mid-March, but the event only runs if conditions are perfect. This rarity has inspired the saying, “the bay calls the day.”

The waves at Waimea must reach a face height of 40 feet—the size of a four-story building—to qualify. Even then, it’s rare for these conditions to hold steady for an entire day of competition.

This year’s waves were the result of a powerful storm forming in the western Pacific near Japan, explained Kevin Wallis, Surfline’s director of forecasting. He described it as a “Goldilocks” scenario: too far away, and the waves would be small; too close, and the weather could ruin everything.

The Eddie last ran in January 2023, weeks after a false alarm saw surfers flock to Oahu only for the event to be canceled. In 2016, it was called off the morning of the competition due to changing conditions but eventually held weeks later.

Felicity Palmateer, a big-wave surfer from Perth, Australia, began her journey to Hawaii even before the event was confirmed, unwilling to risk missing it. “It’s so much more than a surf contest,” she said.

This sentiment resonates with surfers new to the Eddie, like Palmateer, and veterans such as Peter Mel, who is competing for the ninth time—a notable achievement, given this is only the 11th time the contest has been held.

“It’s a celebration—not just of surfing, but of the culture, lifesaving, watermanship, and the heritage of Hawaii,” Mel remarked.

The event was established in 1984 to honor Eddie Aikau, a legendary Hawaiian surfer and North Shore’s first lifeguard. Known for tackling waves others wouldn’t dare, he saved over 500 lives during his career. In 1978, while retracing an ancient Polynesian migration route between Hawaii and Tahiti, Eddie paddled toward shore to seek help after the canoe Hokulea capsized. He was never seen again.

For many surfers, simply being invited to the Eddie represents the pinnacle of their careers—a mark of respect from the Aikau family and the surfing community. Even if the event doesn’t run, being named an invitee is likened to reaching the Super Bowl.

Surfers aim to ride colossal waves in hopes of earning recognition and a spot on the list of honorees. In 2023, Jojo Roper, though not an invitee, managed to ride a massive wave at Waimea before the competition began. His efforts earned him an invitation this year.

On Sunday morning, as the sun rose, contest director Liam McNamara made the final call to a packed beach. “The bay has made the call,” he declared.

This year’s competitors include Olympic gold medalist Kauli Vaast, six past Eddie champions such as John John Florence and Kelly Slater, and the defending champion, Luke Shepardson, a North Shore lifeguard who beat world-class surfers to win in 2023. Ha’a Aikau, Eddie’s nephew, will also compete for the first time, continuing the family legacy.

Each surfer gets two heats, with a maximum of four waves scored per heat by five judges on a 1-to-20 scale. However, many say the waves at Waimea seem to choose the surfer, making the competition feel less about strategy and more about destiny.

“If Eddie chooses you for those special waves, it happens,” Mel said. But for most participants, scores are secondary; to surf the Eddie is already a victory.

“It’s like Woodstock for surfing,” Mel mused, recalling how crowds in 2016 drummed and cheered as waves rolled in. “You’d hear the valley echo with people beating trash can lids and going wild,” he said. “It’s a congregation—surfers, spectators, lifeguards, and water patrol, all part of the experience.”

Even Pupukea Grill’s staff takes breaks to join the festivities. “I’ll be at Waimea at some point,” Barry Sweet said. “It’s a chance to witness humanity in its element.”