![]() You can find “Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero and Pioneer of Big Wave Surfing,” by Stuart Holmes Colman, at the Los Angeles Public Library. On YouTube, you can watch clips of Eddie surfing and a documentary called “Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau.” The local saying, ‘Eddie Would Go,’ refers to his stoke to take on big waves that other surfers would shy away from and his courage to make a rescue in impossible situations.” “Eddie braved surf that often reached 20 feet high or more to make a rescue … He won several surfing awards, including first place at the prestigious 1977 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship. He saved many lives and became well known as a big wave surfer. He was the first lifeguard at Waimea Bay on the island of Oahu. “Edward Ryon Makuahanai ‘Eddie’ Aikau (March 17, 1978) is one of the most respected names in surfing. Here’s his bio, from the Eddie Aikau Foundation website: He gave up his life vest for others and climbed aboard his surf board seeking rescue. “Eddie gave his life because he did go - to seek help for those on a capsizing ship while at sea. … They had monthly family meetings where all undercurrents of discord were uncovered, discussed, mended. They have signs all about Hawaii saying ‘Eddie Would Go’ to commemorate his willingness to go where needed. “Eddie Aikau was a surfer lifeguard and native Hawaiian who gave his life in loving service. That was when a reader from Hawaii wrote me, saying: When I moved to Southern California, I got to see the beaches I’d only seen before on TV: Malibu, Newport.īut until last year, I’d never heard of Eddie Aikau. However, from the devastation arose the community Eddie held so close, strengthened by its resolve to not only remember their hero, but celebrate him.I grew up on the coast of New Hampshire. The foremost champion of the newest state was taken from the community he loved much too early. It was a tremendous loss for the surf community, but it was an even bigger loss for Hawaiʻi, and, tangentially, the United States. The ensuing search for Aikau was the largest air-sea search in Hawaiian history. He removed his lifejacket since it was hindering his paddling of the surfboard. Coast Guard Cutter Cape Corwin, Aikau was never seen again. In an attempt to get help, Aikau paddled toward Lanai on his surfboard. Although the rest of the crew was later rescued by the U.S. The double-hulled voyaging canoe developed a leak in one of the hulls and later capsized about twelve miles (19 km) south of the island of Molokai. ![]() An homage down to the watercraft, the manned Hokule’a left the Hawaiian islands on March 16, 1978. In 1978, a 31-year-old Eddie, weathered but energetic as always, joined the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s 30-day, 2,500-mile journey from Hawaii through Tahitian island chains, following the route once taken by then-Polynesian migrants. And as lifeguard and cultural ambassador, he was able to do that.Įddie at Sunset as he would want it: sharing a wave with his boys. Rather than hide Hawaiʻi from the rest of the world, he wanted to share its natural beauty, and teach everyone why it was so necessary to appreciate the native roots that were often ignored and cast aside by non-natives, namely developers in Waikiki. And while he himself embodied all the values needed to be among the North Shore’s best, riding the biggest and heaviest waves around with a intense passion for the pursuit, he wanted to help others do the same. Surfing is a very individualized sport: it’s an exploration of one’s own limits - physical, mental, and spiritual. What made Eddie different was, without a doubt, his selflessness. During a nine-year tenure as protector of the hallowed coastline, he attempted over 500 rescues. With a recognized prowess as a waterman, he was appointed lifeguard of the beaches between Sunset and Haleiwa, an appropriate role for the big wave surfer as he often swam into 30 foot swells. Born in Maui, his family moved to Oahu when he was 16, and shortly thereafter he was a North Shore local surfing the gnarliest breaks, his favorite being Waimea Bay. But before he went on the courageous rescue mission, his legend was already growing on the islands.
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