Page 4 - MidWeek Central - January 18, 2023

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JANUARY 18, 2023
Aloha surfers and beachgoers,
Wow — 2023 rolled in like a tsunami. There was a 15-foot northwest swell on Jan. 2 and then the grand daddy northwest swell of the winter season on Jan. 11 with 15-to-25-foot waves. There’s yet another extra-large pos- sibility coming Jan. 22, if model predictions come true. Check snnhawaii.com to know for sure.
wind forecasts turned sour. This was such a bummer as the green light was given the day prior, prompting a media blitz and travel mania just one day earlier. But as we’ve said for nearly 40 years — the bay calls the day, and the stan- dards are as high as the waves Eddie once rode.
bled-hulled canoe Hōkūle‘a about 12 miles south of Molo- ka‘i on March 17, 1978.
spiring Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Who Have Shaped the United States that was published by the Smith- sonian Institution and Run- ning Press Kids.
I penned this column just as the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational was canceled last minute the morning of Jan. 10 because weather and
BY GARY KEWLEY
Legendary Eddie Aikau’s Legacy Continues To Grow
1968 was the year Eddie became the first lifeguard ever on the North Shore. From Sunset to Hale‘iwa, he saved more than 500 swimmers and not one person was ever lost under his watch at Waimea. Eddie was named Lifeguard of the Year in ’71, and while
The 2016 winner of the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, John John Florence, takes on Waimea’s big waves. PHOTO COURTESY SERVAIS
To this day, his legend grows as does the esteemed event bearing his name, The Eddie. The best big-wave rid- ers across the globe come to ride life- and career-altering surf and to pay tribute to the man.
doing all of this, he charged the world’s biggest, best waves with world-class skill — including in ’77 when he won the Duke Kahanamoku
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Invitational Surfing Champi- onship. Eddie manifested the “greatest love of all” when he gave his life to save the crew on the capsized dou-
In 2022, Edward Ryan Makuahanai Aikau was fea- tured in Naomi Hirahara’s an- thology We Are Here: 30 In-
GQ, droppin’ in 4 U!
KAHI
WRINKLE BOUNCE
Eddie paddled for help to- ward Lāna‘i on his surfboard and was never seen again. He was just 31.
Mahalo to Clyde and the rest of the Aikau ‘ohana for keeping Eddie’s legend alive and growing. And mahalo to all the sponsors past and pres- ent, to everyone who makes this amazing event happen and to all of you who come to experience the spirit and ener- gy of The Eddie.
gary@surfnewsnetwork.com
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