Bruce Irons and 15 other Hawai‘i surfers, including his older brother Andy, were invited to compete in the 25th Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau tournament. The Hawai‘i surfers make up more than half of the 28-surfer
Bruce Irons and 15 other Hawai‘i surfers, including his older brother Andy, were invited to compete in the 25th Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau tournament. The Hawai‘i surfers make up more than half of the 28-surfer field hoping to take the waters of Waimea Bay on O‘ahu’s North Shore.
Opening ceremonies are set for 3 p.m., Nov. 29 at the meet site. The holding period will start on Dec. 1 and hold till Feb. 29, and will be held on any one of those days when the surf measures at least 20 feet high. Because the competition could only take place if the waves are extremely high, the meet was last held in 2004 and Bruce Irons was the last person to win it.
He surfed waves that measured more than 40 feet and became the seventh person to win it.
The prize at stake for the winner of “The Eddie” is $55,000.
This year’s competition has extended from 24 to 28 surfers and will include surfers from Asia, South America, Africa and Europe.
“The Eddie” gathers the most skillful and dynamic big-wave surfers from around the world as polled by a comprehensive panel consisting of influential watermen, members of the surf industry, internationally recognized surfing associations, as well as a public poll.
“We are extremely pleased to announce the growth of this year’s event and to welcome elected riders from Asia, Africa, South America and Europe,” Quik-silver CEO Bob McKnight said in a release. “The quest to ride the world’s biggest waves has become a truly international and influential sport, complete with an ever-growing depth of talent and the discovery of big-wave riding locations around the globe.
“Eddie Aikau was a man who loved to ride big waves and who shared his passion with many during his own travels to places like South Africa, South America, and Australia. We believe that the growth of this event, in his honor, is becoming a truer representation of how far Aikau’s life and legacy have traveled with each passing year.”
The other Hawai‘i surfers include Andy Irons, Brian Keaulana, Brock Little, Clyde Aikau, Jamie O’Brien, Jamie Sterling, Keone Downing, Makua Rothman Mark Healey, Michael Ho, Noah Johnson, Rusty Keaulana, Shane Dorian, Sunny Garcia and Titus Kinimaka.
There were also 24 alternates named for the competition. Sixteen of them were from Hawai‘i.
For more information or a full list of the surfers, go to www.quiksilver.com/bigwave.
