QUIKSILVER IN MEMORY OF EDDIE AIKAU

The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau event director George Downing has made a famous statement: In Downing’s words, "The Bay calls the day." That call has been made only seven times in the past 23 years. It's as if the ocean itself is determined to keep this event special. The winners - Clyde Aikau, Keone Downing, Noah Johnson, Ross Clarke-Jones, Kelly Slater and Bruce Irons all possess extraordinary skills in the ocean. Each has had a "peak day" at Waimea Bay, when paddling power, fitness, wave selection, surfing equipment, confidence and courage have all come together. The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau we know has a forerunner: the Eddie Aikau Memorial, held in 1986 in beautiful 10-foot surf at Sunset Beach and won by local ripper Denton Miyamura. It was a lot of fun, but Quiksilver's Bruce Raymond and Bob McKnight saw a chance to create a true surfing classic. In concert with the Aikau family, today's dramatic, humbling challenge was mounted. Each Hawaiian winter, a select group of invitees chosen by polling among big wave experts and riders alike would be welcomed to Waimea Bay at the start of a three month waiting period. If the Bay called the day, they would be there. First off came Clyde's emotional inaugural win. On February 21, 1987, in onshore 20-foot surf, Eddie’s younger brother and favorite surfing buddy took the top prize. Later Clyde would speak of Eddie s spirit rising to meet him in the lineup in the form of a large turtle, surfacing just before the winning rides. Three years passed before 25-foot-plus surf and offshore winds provided the awesome canvas for perhaps the ultimate big-wave test of all time. Late January 1990 saw the "Eddie" invitees paddling out to waves that still provide the benchmark for paddling in huge gray wave faces, with epic rides in seemingly every heat. Standouts were Brock Little with his Off-The-Wall style tube ride and desperate takeoff attempt on a close-to-30-footer, and Richard Schmidt's "magic...

Channel: Vimeo Video Length: 3m 50s Date Found: Fri, Oct 08 2010 1:06 PM Category: Home Video Date Produced: Tue, May 19 2009 8:30 PM View Count: 0