Imagine being a surfer on the iconic north shore of O'ahu during the winter, watching as the powerful swell continues to build, the waves getting bigger by the hour. Soon the the face of the wave is a story high, then two, then three, quickly reaching a colossal 40 feet of water breaking onto the reef at Waimea Bay. You get the call, "The Eddie contest is ON!" and you get ready to surf the biggest waves of your life. This is reality for ten women surfers who were invited to compete in the 2024-2025 Eddie Aikau Invitational, the biggest contest in surf, held at Waimea Bay.
Unlike other surfing contests, the Eddie isn't held each year, but this year it's been called on, kicking off December 22, 2024 with a contest window running until March 13, 2025. The contest will only be run on days when the wave face at Waimea Bay reaches a minimum of 40 feet high. Surfers invited to compete must make sure they're on site and ready to go in case a big swell hits.
This year, ten women surfers have been invited and accepted their invitation to compete. If they're not able to paddle out, five women have been selected as alternates to step in for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see what they're made of in the big surf.
The wahine (women) who have been selected to compete are Bianca Valenti, Justine Dupont, Laura Enever, Paige Alms, Felicity Palmateer, Annie Starr Reichert, Emily Erickson, Keala Kennelly, Makani Adric, and Moana Jones Wong. Alternates for the contest include surfers Izzy Gomez, Skylar Lickle, Tiare Lawrence, Andrea Moller, and Anne Dos Santos. The Eddie Invitational will challenge surfers to paddle in on long and narrow surfboards called "guns."
The big wave surf contest is held in honor of waterman Eddie Aikau, the first lifeguard on the north shore of O'ahu, home to some of the biggest and most challenging waves of the world.
As a lifeguard, Eddie rescued over 500 people and risked his own life in the process. When the biggest waves of the year arrived on the north shore, towering 30 feet or larger at Waimea Bay, Eddie was the only surfer who dared to paddle out.
Eddie's life was cut short at the young age of 31 when he disappeared at sea while paddling to get help for the sinking Hōkūleʻa canoe. After the canoe experienced a leak in one of its hulls, Eddie took a surfboard and began paddling toward the island of Lānaʻi to get help. The brave young Hawaiian was never seen again.
The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational is held each year in honor of the waterman who never hesitated to put his own life at risk to save others and never backed down from a big swell at Waimea Bay. The mantra "Eddie Would Go," is a statement that resonates with surfers when they question whether or not to paddle out on a big wave day.
Laura Enever of Australia is one of the women invited to compete at the Eddie. After making a name for herself on the World Surf League, Laura has proven that her surfing skills and mental fortitude are fit for big waves, too. She has stepped outside of her comfort zone to learn what it takes to ride waves that are well over her head. Now she holds the world record for the biggest wave paddled into by a woman when she caught a 43.6 foot wave at Outer Reef on O'ahu.
Paddling into a big wave and being towed into it by a jet ski are two different disciplines in surfing. Being towed into the wave allows surfers to better match its speed before dropping in. Paddling into a wave means using your own strength and timing to catch a fast and powerful wave that towers over you.
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