King of the Giant Surf Contests

Also known as “The Eddie”, the Eddie Aikau Invitational surf contest is only held when conditions are perfect – meaning giant, rideable surf on Oahu’s Waimea Bay.  Eddie Aikau was a legendary lifeguard and surfer who lost his life at sea in an effort to help a stranded crew on the HōkÅ«leÊ»a.  His family organizes the surf meet and awards the winner.

Two Videos Worth Watching

I’m sure there are more but these two really stuck out.  The first is featured on this page and has beautiful photography complete with drone shots and a soundtrack to match.

The second one below is less refined but much more raw, showing crazy wipeouts, insane launches, and crowd reactions that will give you a better feel of what it must have been like.  It claims “EVERY PADDLE OUT, WIPEOUT AND GLORIOUS RIDE!” and I have no good reason to not believe it.

YouTube player

Want to see some other video features? Let me know in this form below.