The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational opening ceremony
Honouring the life and legacy of the legendary Hawaiian lifeguard, surfer and hero, THE EDDIE Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau stands as the pinnacle of competitive big-wave surfing in the modern era. Held only 11 times in its 41-year history, THE EDDIE showcases high-performance big wave surfing by an elite group of men and women at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of O’ahu. Watched by millions around the world, the event is slated to be held on one day, between December 7, 2025, and March 6, 2026, should wave heights reach 40-foot faces and weather conditions allow for the competition to “Go.”
On 5th December, the world’s best big wave surfers gathered at Waimea Bay Beach Park for the Rip Curl Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau Opening Ceremony today. Many had traveled from across the globe to attend the event that recognizes their contributions to both big wave surfing and their communities.
More than a thousand people watched as the ceremony began with a Hawaiian blessing by Rocky Naeole and Thomas Cleek of the Royal Order of Kamehameha I. Then, the President of the Eddie Aikau Foundation, Linda Ipsen, shared a few words about the role of the Foundation in perpetuating the values of Eddie Aikau through the organization’s activites, including the Big Wave Invitational and a youth essay contest. She thanked the event sponsors for their support that provides the opportunity for THE EDDIE® to continue to inspire generations year after year.
Following the surfer introductions, the great-nephew of Eddie, Keawe Kaoha Aikau Kaalekahi assisted the Royal Order of Kamehameha I and Laiana Kanoa-Wong with the blessing of the event and the competitors. Then the surfers headed into the water with their colorful array of surfboards and paddled out to the middle of Waimea Bay for the ocean blessing.
Led by Clyde’s son and 2025 Invitee, Ha’a Aikau, along with fellow event Invitee Makua Rothman, the competitors received the traditional ocean blessing in the middle of Waimea Bay.
“It was a really beautiful circle,” said last year’s runner-up, Mason Ho. “Everyone got to catch a wave. Usually, it’s flat on these Opening Ceremony days, but today there was a nice wave out there. It was really moving hearing Ha’a speak on behalf of Uncle Clyde. It felt like a passing of the torch of some sort. It was definitely a little sad this year because Uncle Clyde was all of our hero, but it was really beautiful because everyone was cheering for him out there, and there were a lot of nice stories shared.”
“It was very powerful being in the circle with Makua and Haʻa.” Said Darrick Doerner, a previous EDDIE competitor and father of current competitor Tiger Doerner. “We missed Clyde. Both Makua and Haʻa spoke very wisely and said what everyone needed to hear.”
As the Opening Ceremony concludes, all eyes turn towards the horizon as the start of the three-month waiting period has begun. THE EDDIE happens when wave heights reach 40-foot faces and weather conditions allow for the competition to “Go” in a single day. It has only been held 11 times in its 41-year history. Landon McNamara won the last EDDIE on December 22, 2024.
The Eddie Aikau Foundation continues its partnership with Rip Curl as the title sponsor to bring the iconic event to life.
“We are proud to partner with THE EDDIE for a second year and feel so blessed that the event ran in the first year of our partnership,” said James Taylor, Rip Curl’s General Manager of Marketing. “We see Rip Curl’s role as an opportunity to continue to carry Eddie’s legacy to a global audience and honour the rich history behind the event. At this year’s Opening Ceremony, we also pay tribute to the life’s work of Eddie’s late brother, Clyde. To see Clyde so involved in every step of last year’s event was truly inspiring.”
The Eddie Aikau Foundation would like to recognise and thank THE EDDIE title sponsor Rip Curl, as well as Hawaiian Airlines, OluKai, Costa Sunglasses, Polynesian Adventure Tours, Kona Brewing Hawaii, Patagonia, Waimea Valley-Hi’ipaka LLC, Pacific Power Electrical Contracting, Hawaiian Native Corp, YETI, Art by Eddy Y, Pictures Plus, Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Beverages, Sun Bum, JACO Rehab Hawaii, RipClip, ‘oe Hawaii, Peter David Photography and Strafford Media for their support. We also would like to welcome our newest partners, Kaiser Permanente and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs. Our sincere appreciation and mahalo to our production partners Salt+Air Studios and Nexstar Media Inc. dba KHON2.
