![]() In 1967, Eddie cracked a giant swell at Waimea Bay and made his mark in the world of big wave riding. Greg Noll, Mike Stang, George Downing, John Kelly, and Sammy Lee were huge inspirations. He dreamed of reaching the height of his heroes. As a competitor, his best contest result was a win in the 1977 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship.Įddie Aikau saw big wave surfing not as a competition but as a personal goal. At the time, there were no jet skis or zodiacs - just two youngsters with a board and swim fins.ĭuring his career as a lifeguard at Waimea Bay, Eddie Aikau managed to rescue and save the lives of over 500 people.Įddie took on every major swell to come through the North Shore from 1967 to 1978. The two brothers worked together for ten years until 1978 and never lost one person. He was high risk at an early age," says younger brother Clyde Aikau.Įddie was the first official lifeguard hired by the City & County of Honolulu to work at Waimea Bay, on Oahu's North Shore, back in 1967.Īt the same time, he challenged the biggest waves on offer in the Hawaiian Islands. "Eddie was a pretty quiet guy, but when there was a challenge, or some risk to be taken, or a game to be played that everybody wanted to win, Eddie seemed to rise to the top. He was the second-oldest of the five Aikau kids and the leader of their pack from their earliest days on Maui to their surfing days on the South and North Shore of Oahu. ![]() The surfer, lifeguard, family man, friend, traveler, musician, and hero inspired future generations of wave riders worldwide.Įdward Ryon Makuahanai Aikau was born in Kahului, Hawaii, on May 4, 1946. In honor of Aikau's memory the surf wear company Quicksilver has held the regular surfing tournament the Quicksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau in Aikau's beloved Waimea Bay.The life of Eddie Aikau is the incredible story of the ultimate Hawaiian waterman. Coast Guard, Eddie's body was alas never found despite the efforts of an extensive manhunt. Although all the other crew members were eventually rescued by the U.S. After the canoe developed a leak in one of its hulls and subsequently capsized, Aikau decided to paddle back to shore on his surfboard in order to get help. In 1978 Eddie volunteered as a crew member for a canoe voyage from Hawaii to Tahiti. Eddie won first place in the prestigious Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship contest in 1977. Well known for his exceptional courage and selfless nature as well as for the fact that no one ever drowned at sea on his watch, Aikau was named Lifeguard of the Year in 1971. One of the first surfers to make a name for himself braving and besting the monster waves at the beach in Waimea Bay, Eddie in 1968 became the first lifeguard to be hired by the City & County of Honolulu to work on the North Shore. Aikau dropped out of high school at age sixteen and bought his first surfboard with the money he made working at a Dole pineapple cannery. Eddie began surfing at age eleven and moved with his family to the Hawaiian island of O'ahu in 1959. ![]() ![]() ![]() Aikau grew up in Lahaina and attended St. The son of Solomon and Henrietta Aikau, Eddie was the third in a family of six children. Champion surfer and lifeguard Edward Ryon Makuahanai Aikau was born on in Maui, Hawaii. ![]()
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