'Edward Ryan Makua Hanai Aikau' (
May 4,
1946 –
March 17,
1978) was a well-known Hawaiian
lifeguard and
surfer. As the first lifeguard at
Waimea Bay on the island of
Oahu, he saved many lives and became famous for surfing the big Hawaiian surf, winning several awards including the 1977 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship.
Life
Born on the island of
Maui, Aikau was the third child of Solomon and Henrietta Aikau. Aikau first learned how to surf Kahului Harbor on its shorebreak. He moved to
Oahu with his family in
1959, and at the age of 16 left school and started working at the Dole pineapple cannery; The paycheck allowed Aikau to to buy his first surfboard. In
1968, he became the first lifeguard hired by the
City & County of Honolulu to work on the North Shore. The City & County of Honolulu gave Aikau the task of covering all of the beaches between
Sunset and
Haleiwa. Not one life was lost while he served as lifeguard of
Waimea Bay, as he braved surf that often reached 20 feet high or more.
Death
In
1978, the
Polynesian Voyaging Society was seeking volunteers for a 30-day, 2500 mile journey to follow the ancient route of the Polynesian migration between the Hawaiian and
Tahitian island chains. At 31 years of age, Aikau joined the voyage as a crew member. The
Hokule'a left the Hawaiian islands on
March 16,
1978. The double-hulled voyaging canoe developed a leak in one of the hulls and later capsized about twelve miles south of the island of
Molokai. In an attempt to get help, Aikau paddled toward
Lanai on his surfboard.
[1] Although the rest of the crew was later rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard, Aikau was never seen again. The ensuing search for Aikau was the largest air-sea search in Hawaii history.
[2] The last person lifeguard Eddie Aikau rescued at Waimea Bay was a young TV producer named John Orland, who had just wrapped up production on a TV pilot called the "Hawaiian Experience," starring Bob Crane from "Hogan's Heroes." It was on February 28, 1978, a little over two weeks before Eddie Aikau was lost at sea.
Memorial surfing invitational
In Aikau's honor, the surfwear company
Quiksilver sponsors the
Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau at
Waimea Bay. The idea of the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational was created by Bruce Raymond and Bob McKnight. Since its inception in
1984, the tournament has only been held seven times, due to a precondition that open-ocean swells reach a minimum of 20 feet (this translates to a wave face height of over 30 feet).
[3] The most recent tournament was in December
2004, when waves in the bay reached 30 to 50 feet high. The contest only invites 24 big-wave riders to participate in two rounds of competition. This event, also hold true to big-wave riding because it does not allow the use of jet skis to tow in surfers into the waves. Surfers must paddle themselves into the waves, using their own arm-power to get themselves over the waves.
Popular culture
In the 1980's,
bumper stickers and
T-shirts with the phrase "Eddie Would Go" spread around the Hawaiian Islands to the rest of the world. According to maritime historian Mac Simpson, "Aikau was a legend on the North Shore, pulling people out of waves that no one else would dare to. That's where the saying came from -- Eddie would go, when no else would or could. Only Eddie dared."
2
Another variation of the aforementioned popular phrase is "Eddie wouldn't tow." This phrase is in reference to the method of
big wave surfing in which one surfer must accelerate another surfer (the former on a
jet ski, the latter towed on a
surfboard) to the speed of a large, fast wave. It is also partially in response to the controversy over the "unnaturalness" of tow-in surfing; many surfers feel that being towed in to a wave, as opposed to paddling, is against the spirit of the sport.
[4]
Media
Books
★ Coleman, Stuart. (2002). ''
Eddie Would Go: The story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero''. MindRaising Press. ISBN 0-9706213-7-X
Film
★ Goes, Sergio. ''Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero''.
[1]
See also
★
Duke Kahanamoku
References
1. Hawaiian senate -- Eddie Aikau Honored in Senate.
2. Eddie: Riding on the crest of a myth Burl Burlingame
3. http://www.quiksilver.com/frames/bigwaveinvitational0607.aspx
4. Waterman: Brian Keaulana and the Rise of Ocean Safety Stuart H. Coleman
External links
★
Surfline: Eddie Aikau
★
Quiksilver Eddie Aikau Invitational 2004
★
Eddie Aikau Foundation
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