“Eddie would go,” is a long-time surfing catchphrase that encapsulates the spirit of Eddie Aikau in many ways. Tonight at 8pm EST/5pm PST, “Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau,” a 2013 Tribeca Film Festival selection, will air as part of ESPN’s 30 for 30 series on ESPN/ESPN HD. The almost hour and a half film chronicles Eddie Aikau’s beginnings in surf riding a 3/4″ thick board with his brother on the south shore of Oahu to surfing every waking moment around his job at the Dole cannery to dropping in behind the peak on giants at Waimea Bay.
His story is nothing short of legendary, which is why, to this day, Quiksilver holds the Eddie Aikau Invitational. Arguably on par with the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational, “his” contest pits the world’s greatest big wave surfers against one another in waves measuring, at a minimum, 20 feet with wave faces bumping a treacherous 30 feet. It stands to reason that the contest should be held in no less as Eddie was the first surfer to conquer Waimea Bay, previously considered unsurfable. On November 19, 1967, he first surfed Waimea on a behemoth day as 40 footers poured into the legendary spot where the contest is still held.
After watching this film, it was apparent that Eddie Aikau was so much more than a legendary surfer, as if that wasn’t enough. He broke ground as the first lifeguard stationed at Waimea Bay even though he didn’t graduate high school (a major point of contention with authorities). He won the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational in 1977 at 31 years old and he quelled tensions between the new, brash contingency of Australian surfers–Ian Cairns, Rabbit Bartholomew, Mark Richards–and fellow Hawaiians. Aikau also, during a marathon sailing trip to Tahiti, paddled back to Hawaii roughly 10-12 miles on a longboard to seek help after the Hokule’a, the boat they were sailing, had capsized. The crew was hanging on for dear life the whole time and, while they were saved, Eddie mysteriously died.
To say that Eddie Aikau was just a world renowned surfer would be a slight to his legacy. He was one of the greatest watermen of his time, a truly selfless human being and a role model for anyone who pursues an oceanic life. The fact that he died saving others is a testament to this.
If you are at home tonight and would like some excellent Tuesday night entertainment, look no further. If you’re not at home, record it or cancel your plans. You won’t be disappointed. But if you are, sound off below on what you would have done differently.
