Still iconic
If the Eddie Aikau Invitational runs this coming winter it will be doing so on the 40th anniversary of the first time the call was made at Waimea Bay. It will also be the first time the contest has run with a major endemic title sponsor since Quiksilver ended its support of the event in 2017, as Rip Curl announced a brand new partnership on Monday.
View this post on Instagram
“It is an incredible honor for Rip Curl to be a partner of the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational,” said Brooke Farris, CEO of Rip Curl. “This event is legendary, as are the big wave surfers who take on the giant waves of Waimea Bay. With our 55-year history of championing surfing events around the world, it is with great respect that we place our name alongside Eddie Aikau, celebrating an incredible legacy and supporting an event that means so much to the surfing community.”
The contest has only run 10 times in its 40-year history thanks to strict guidelines that Waimea Bay provides “a full day of consistent 25-foot surf.” Last winter, that resulted in the Eddie and its contestants all being put on a temporary “yellow alert” in February and then the event was called off later that week when conditions didn’t align.
No other significant swell earned consideration from event organizers before the end of the contest window in March. In 2023, North Shore lifeguard Luke Shepardson famously won the event while technically on duty. His $10,000 in prize money was a notable piece of the story, as past winners had taken home significantly larger purses under Quiksilver’s Eddie Aikau Invitational sponsorship. The Eddie never lost its popularity, however, with the 2023 contest reportedly drawing 50,000 people out to Waimea Bay to watch.
Rip Curl has promised more details on the new deal in the future.
“The Eddie honors the remarkable character and values displayed by Eddie Aikau during his career as a heroic lifeguard, big wave surfer and crew member of the Hawaiian voyaging canoe, Hokule’a. Our partnership with Rip Curl, an international organization, will give us the opportunity to share the Aloha Spirit that Eddie Aikau exemplified, with a worldwide audience,” said Linda Ipsen, President of the Eddie Aikau Foundation.
