For the first time since 2004, contest organizers have given the green light for the Eddie. Sets are topping 20 feet and the wind is offshore at 8:15 am Tuesday morning at Waimea Bay. Contest sponsor, Quiksilver has live coverage of the In Memory of Eddie Aikau contest here.
At 8 am Hawaiian time, NOAA Station 51001, 170 miles northwest of Kauai, was reading 19-foot swell at an interval of 16 seconds from the NNW. The first heat is in the water now; Peter Mel has the highest score so far.
This is only the ninth time in the event’s 25-year history that the contest has been run. The last time the Eddie ran, in 2004, the contest was won by Bruce Irons.
Ross Clark Jones at the 2004 Eddie
The contest only invites 24 big-wave riders to participate in two rounds of competition. The event does not allow the use of jet skis to tow surfers into the waves.
Today also marks the beginning of the holding period for the Pipe Masters and Women’s Billabong Pro event at Honolua Bay on Maui.
See the Quiksilver site for more about Eddie Aikau and the history of the invitational.
