If you were a gambling person, chances weren’t all that great that you put money on Luke Shepardson to win the Eddie Aikau Invitational. Not because he wasn’t capable of it, clearly, but simply because he was competing against the best of the best and his name is not one that springs immediately to mind when you think “big wave guy.” And that’s exactly how he likes it.
Shepardson is the perfect person to win the Eddie. Like the event’s namesake, he’s a North Shore lifeguard. Like the event’s namesake, he has a deep love and respect for the ocean. And like the event’s namesake, Luke Shepardson is extraordinarily humble.
He’s not a competitive surfer with a surfboard covered in stickers and a mailbox full of branded tees. He’s not making a living with surf company cash. He makes his living keeping other people safe. Immediately after his win, comparisons were drawn between him and Eddie Aikau. Shepardson tries to embody some of the values Eddie has come to represent, so those comparisons are likely a huge compliment.
“He did so many selfless acts to help other people around him and then his love for the ocean. That’s what I really admire about him and it’s what I try to do myself,” he told Hawaii News Now.
After winning the most prestigious contest in all of surfing while on a break from his lifeguard tower, Shepardson simply went back to work. “I gotta get back to the tower to make sure everyone’s okay until the end of the day,” he said after his win.
Shepardson didn’t just win — he very nearly got a perfect score. Out of a possible 90 points, the lifeguard scored 89.1 points. And while most people would likely go out and celebrate in a fashion that might leave them a little worse for wear the next day, Shepardson just went home, made pizza, and went to bed. He had work in the morning, after all.
For Shepardson, a lifelong surfer, just getting an invite to the Eddie was enough. But he knew that he had a shot at winning it.
“‘I’m in it because I can win it,’ that’s what I was telling myself all day,” Shepardson said. “It was a dream come true to be part of it, to just be on the alternate list, and then to be in it. I can’t believe it.”
For a big wave surfer, especially one from Hawaii, there’s no greater honor than an invite to the Eddie Aikau Invitational, and Shepardson was aware of how big of a deal it was.
“When I grabbed my jersey for the first heat I started tearing up and crying,” Shepardson said. “I was like, ‘I am really surfing an Eddie Aikau contest.’ It’s been one of the hugest dreams of mine.”
According to Hawaii News Now, Shepardson isn’t planning on wringing out all he can from his newfound big wave fame. He won’t be entering any big wave contests any time soon — except, of course, the Eddie. He’ll have to wait until the Bay calls the day again, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.
