6:30am update: The Eddie has been called off. Event officials say the big wave surf contest will not run at Waimea Bay today due to slowly building conditions.
5:30am update: The Eddie MAY Go. Swell has shifted, with Waimea no longer getting a direct hit. Start of contest may be delayed till noon. Officials are contemplating running a modified heat format.
Parking in Waimea valley has been filled for hours, and there are reports of heavy traffic delays.
After a six-year wait…Eddie will GO.
The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau big wave surfing competition will go tomorrow morning. Contest organizers gave the green light early Monday morning, following the latest round of forecasts predicting a day of solid 40-foot high waves and light winds in the morning, turning to light trades in the afternoon. The invitation-only event requires precise conditions for wave height and wind speed. "It has taken us six years to pull the trigger, but this is the first swell we have seen that is truly lining up as an Eddie swell," said Event Director Glen Moncata.
The competition honors Eddie Aikau- a North Shore lifeguard and original member of the H?k?le‘a voyaging crew. In 1978 at the age of 31, he was lost at sea during a storm encountered by the H?k?le‘a. The last “Eddie” in 2009 attracted almost twenty-thousand spectators and this year is expected to again pull record numbers. Jodi Wilmot is the Event Spokesperson for the Eddie.
There will be various platforms on which to view the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau:
In Hawaii: Live on Oceanic Time Warner Cable channels 250 and 1250HD
On the internet: www.quiksilver.com/eddie and www.worldsurfleague.com and on the WSL App.
EVENT HEAT DRAW:
Heat 1:
Shane Dorian (HAW)
Kohl Christensen (HAW)
Greg Long (CA)
Ramon Navarro (CHI)
Sunny Garcia (HAW)
Ross Clarke-Jones (AUS)
Jamie Mitchell (AUS)
Heat 2:
Kelly Slater (FL)
David Wassell (HAW)
Grant Baker (ZAF)
Reef McIntosh (HAW)
Jamie O'Brien (HAW)
Aaron Gold (HAW)
Tom Carroll (AUS)
Heat 3:
John John Florence (HAW)
Mark Healey (HAW)
Clyde Aikau (HAW)
Nathan Fletcher (CA)
Noah Johnson (HAW)
Peter Mel (CA)
Takayuki Wakita (JPN)
Heat 4:
Bruce Irons (HAW)
Makuakai Rothman (HAW)
Ian Walsh (HAW)
Albee Layer (HAW)
Kala Alexander (HAW)
Garrett McNamara (HAW)
Jeremy Flores (FRA)
TOP 5 ALTERNATES:
Mason Ho (HAW)
Danilo Couto (BRA)
Mark Mathews (AUS)
Koa Rothman (HAW)
Ben Wilkinson (AUS)