Before this year, conditions have only aligned for it to be held nine times since the initial competition in 1984. That's equivalent to about 40 feet when measured by methods used in the rest of the U.S. "Large enough" means 20 feet by Hawaii measurements. 22, 2023, at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu in Hawaii. Hawaiian surfer Jake Maki rides a wave as fellow Hawaiian surfer Keala Kennely gets wiped out during The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational surfing contest on Jan. The wind, the tides and the direction of the swell also have to be just right. The event - alternatively known simply as "The Eddie" - is a one-day contest held in Waimea Bay on Oahu's North Shore only when the surf is consistently large enough during the winter big-wave surfing season from mid-December through mid-March. “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.Honolulu - One of the world's most prestigious and storied surfing contests - dubbed the "Super Bowl of Surfing" - went forward Sunday in Hawaii for the first time in seven years with towering wave faces and a gigantic swell.Īnd this year female surfers competed alongside the men for the first time in the 39-year history of The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational. I can’t believe it.”įor 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. “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’m in it because I can win it,’ that’s what I was telling myself all day,” Shepardson said. But he knew that he had a shot at winning it. He had work in the morning, after all.įor Shepardson, a lifelong surfer, just getting an invite to the Eddie was enough. 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. Out of a possible 90 points, the lifeguard scored 89.1 points. Shepardson didn’t just win - he very nearly got a perfect score. Shepardson tries to embody some of the values Eddie has come to represent, so those comparisons are likely a huge compliment. Immediately after his win, comparisons were drawn between him and Eddie Aikau. He makes his living keeping other people safe. He’s not making a living with surf company cash. He’s not a competitive surfer with a surfboard covered in stickers and a mailbox full of branded tees. And like the event’s namesake, Luke Shepardson is extraordinarily humble. Like the event’s namesake, he has a deep love and respect for the ocean. Like the event’s namesake, he’s a North Shore lifeguard. Shepardson is the perfect person to win the Eddie. 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. 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.
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