It's possible that somewhere on the planet, something happened yesterday that was cooler than the Quicksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau, aka "the Eddie." It's possible, but I doubt it.
The Eddie is named for the North Shore's first lifeguard and legendary surfer, who was lost at sea in 1978. It's one of the most rare, exclusive surfing contests in the world, occurring only when the waves in Oahu's Waimea Bay exceed 30 feet high. Because of the stringent criteria, the event has only been held 8 times in 25 years, and the last was in 2004.
But everything came together with huge wave faces rolling in all day long yesterday, many soaring in excess of 40 feet. The winner, Greg Long of San Clemente, California edged surfing great Kelly Slater to collect the $55,000 -- enough to warrant gratuitous risk of personal injury? Not for me. But each and every one of these guys deserves a big, slacked-jawed, awestruck stare for what they did out on the waves.
Here are a few choice images, hot off the press, to feast your eyes upon:
When you're done gawking at these, head over to the Eddie website and check out some of their jaw-dropping videos, too.
Awesome Images: Quicksilver's Flickr stream
Tags: Anthropology, Oceanography, Water
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