“Eddie Aikau was a hero who, in death, became like a god—that’s a terrifying challenge for most writers. But Eddie was blessed with the right biographer; his soulfire life has become a pageturner of a book. We always knew Eddie would go. Now, thanks to Stuart Coleman’s compelling biography, we know why.”
JESSE KORNBLUTH
Editorial Director, America Online
Carissa Moore has become a “realization of Kahanamoku’s dream” to see surfing debut in the Olympics. That a Native Hawaiian could bring home the gold was a big deal. As Kūhiō Lewis, the president of the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement, explained, “At times, we’re an invisible people. We’re lumped into other ethnic groups. Our sport is being defined by other groups. This puts it into perspective,”
As a founder of the Surfrider Foundation’s Oahu Chapter, Peter confronted powerful developers on the North Shore the same way he took on huge waves at Sunset—with sheer commitment and without fear of the consequences.
When Keala Kennelly (43) began to surf professionally at the age of 17, she was one of the few female surfers to make a mark in big-wave surfing.
Heralded as France’s First Lady of Surfing, Justine Dupont (30) is the champion of consistently tackling big waves with raw, devoted focus.
The Eddie is the oldest big-wave surfing contest in the world, yet a female surfer has never participated.
The last Eddie ran seven years ago when the Bay roared to life in 2009. At that contest, Ramón Navarro surfed some of the biggest waves of the day and earned a 5th place finish among the best big-wave surfers in the world.
Eddie Aikau's legacy is a timeless journey that transcends the sport of surfing. Today, he is a cultural-icon and Hawaiian Hero. In honor of this year's Quicksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau, Nicollete Smith celebrated the brave waterman's legacy in a piece published by Planet Save.
As the waiting period for the 2016 Eddie draws to a close on Feb. 29th, a key chapter in Clyde’s life is also closing as well. After this year, Clyde Aikau will be retiring from the competition.