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Edward Ryon Makuahanai Aikau (May 4, 1946 – March 17, 1978), more commonly known as “Eddie Aikau,” was a Hawaiian lifeguard and surfer. He was the first lifeguard for the North Shore hired by the City and County of Honolulu, and during his time there he saved more than 500 people. Eddie was also well-known as a big wave surfer; he won many competitions, including the 1977 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship. His spread and advocacy of the Hawaiian culture deemed him a “true symbol of Aloha” by many, and his influence is still threaded throughout modern Hawaii popular culture.

Early life

Born in Kahului, Maui, on May 4th, 1946, Aikau was the third child of Solomon and Henrietta Aikau. Eddie was known as the “leader of their pack” in reference to him and his siblings, and he was particularly close to his younger brother, Clyde. Clyde eventually grew up to follow in Eddie’s footsteps by also becoming a lifeguard and big wave surfer, but he always kept a level of respect for his older brother. When asked about him, Clyde once responded that "Eddie was a pretty quiet guy but when there was a challenge, or some risk to be taken, or a game to be played that everybody wanted to win, Eddie seemed to rise to the top. He was high risk at an early age." The entire Aikau family are descendants of Hewahewa, the kahuna nui (high priest) of King Kamehameha I and his successor King Kamehameha II.[4] Aikau first learned how to surf at Kahului Harbor on its shorebreak at the age of eleven. In 1959, thirteen year old Eddie and his family moved to the island of O’ahu. At the age of sixteen, Eddie dropped out of high school in order to work full-time at the Dole Cannery Plantation, a pineapple plantation. His first paycheck allowed Aikau to buy his first surfboard, which he used to surf all of the big wave swells that rolled into the north shore of Oah’u. Eventually, Aikau developed a reputation for himself as a respected big wave surfer.

Lifeguarding

In 1968, he became the first lifeguard hired by the City & County of Honolulu to work on the North Shore. The City & County of Honolulu gave Aikau the task of covering all of the beaches between Sunset and Haleiwa. His reputation as a lifeguard was built on the premise that not one life was lost while he served as lifeguard of Waimea Bay, not in the ten years of his lifeguarding career. The waves of the beach that he worked at would, during certain times of the year, reach up to 20 feet; Aikau became famous for making rescues with only his surfboard in these hazardous conditions. In 1971, Aikau was named Lifeguard of the Year.[6]

Surfing

Although Eddie was a regular footed surfer, he was known for his original style of a wide, bowlegged stance while surfing big waves. In 1966, photos of Aikau surfing at Waimea were published in a Life magazine, leading to a widespread movement to a bowlegged stance in the surfing community from the end of the 1960s to the beginning of the 1970s. Also contributing to this widespread intimidation of his surfing style, a picture of Aikau surfing was used in a nationwide billboard ad by Bank of America.

Statistics

Aikau first made his mark on the big wave surfing community during one day in 1966 at Waimea Bay. Surfing Magazine wrote that “he rode giant waves for over six hours without a break and when he finally left the water, he was judged by most to have been one of the finest riders of the day." Then, a few months later on November 19th, 1967, Aikau surfed the “biggest day ever surfed at Waimea Bay” and further established himself in the surfing community by standing out amongst the other surfers in the water. Throughout his surfing career, he was a “six-time finalist in the Duke contest between 1966 and 1974,” “third in the 1976 Lancers World Cup, and was invited to the 1971 and 1973 Expression Sessions.” Aikau also competed internationally in “south Africa, South America, and Australia.” The highlight of Aikau’s career was winning the 1977 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship.

Activism

Eddie was known to be a dedicated advocate of Hawaiian culture and perpetuating the meaning of the aloha spirit, the attitude of mutual respect and kindness found in the Hawaiian islands. His appearances in a few movies such as Golden Breed (1968), Waves of Change (1970), and Fluid Drive (1974), contributed to the spread of Hawaiian culture around the world. Eddie was also involved in Hawaiian culture preservation, leading him to join the Polynesian Voyaging Society in 1978.

Death and legacy

In 1978, at the age of 31, Aikau was involved in the second journey of the Polynesian Voyaging Society’s Hokulea’s 2500 mile canoe expedition following the route ancient Polynesians took from Tahiti to Hawaii and vise versa. On March 16, 1978, Aikau and his crew left Hawaii enroute to Tahiti. However, the canoe of which they were on experienced a leak and, “twelve miles south of the island of Molokai,” the canoe capsized. Aikau insisted on trying to get help for the rest of his crew and attempted to paddle toward Lanai with the surfboard he brought on the journey. A few hours after Eddie’s departure, the crew was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after a commercial airplane reported seeing the Hokule'a and its members. However, Eddie Aikau was never found. Huge search and rescue attempts were done in an effort to find Eddie, but it was eventually determined that Eddie must have been “lost at sea.”

The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Contest

In Aikau's honor, the surfwear company Quiksilver sponsors the “The Eddie”[9]—the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay. The idea of the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational was created by Bruce Raymond and Bob McKnight. Since its inception (the first Eddie was held at Sunset Beach in 1985;[10] in 1987 Eddie Aikau's younger brother Clyde Aikau won the first Eddie after it moved to Waimea Bay[10][11]), the tournament has only been held nine times, due to a precondition that open-ocean swells reach a minimum of 20 feet (this translates to a wave face height of over 30 feet).[12] The contest invites only 28 big-wave riders to participate in two rounds of competition. The event does not allow the use of jet skis to tow surfers into the waves. The most recent tournament was in February 2016, when waves in the bay reached 30 to 50 feet (15 m) high,[13] and John John Florence came away as the winner.

“Eddie Would Go!”

Comprised off of Eddie’s reputation as a selfless lifeguard and fearless big wave surfer, “Eddie Would Go!” is an expression that swept through the Hawaiian islands and the worldwide surfing community. In the 1980s, bumper stickers and T-shirts with the phrase "Eddie Would Go" spread around the Hawaiian Islands and to the rest of the world. According to maritime historian Mac Simpson, "Aikau was a legend on the North Shore, pulling people out of waves that no one else would dare to. That's where the saying came from -- Eddie would go, when no one else would or could. Only Eddie dared."[8] The phrase originated during the first Eddie contest. The waves were huge and the conditions were extremely dangerous. While the contest organizers were discussing whether to put it on, Mark Foo looked at the conditions and said "Eddie would go." The phrase stuck and the Eddie went.[2]

Another variation of the aforementioned popular phrase is "Eddie wouldn't tow." This phrase is in reference to the method of big wave surfing in which one surfer must accelerate another surfer (the former on a jet ski, the latter towed on a surfboard) to the speed of a large, fast wave. It is also partially in response to the controversy over the "unnaturalness" of tow-in surfing; many surfers feel that being towed in to a wave, as opposed to paddling, is against the spirit of the sport.[14]

Other variations of the phrase include "Eddie would throw" (in support of the University of Hawaii's passing attack by Colt Brennan and Timmy Chang under head coach June Jones), "Eddie wouldn't crow" (in opposition to boastful and egotistical surfers), and "Eddie would hoe" (in support of Native Hawaiian agricultural outreach programs). Another variation used recently during the 2008 election campaign for Honolulu rail transit was the slogan, "Eddie would ride."

Austin, TX band Full Service recorded a song about Eddie Aikau called "In A Rescue," found on their 2006 album "Recess." They performed the song at the Full Service Circus in May 2013.[15]

In June 2012, Nashville surf band Blackbear + the Surf Bums released their debut EP, Eddie Would Go paying homage to Aikau.

Sam George, an ex-professional surfer, directed a 30 for 30 documentary about Aikau called Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau. It premiered on ESPN on October 1, 2013 and details Aikau's life from childhood to his death.

Eddie's story was humorously (and respectfully) told by comedian Kurt Braunohler in a second season episode of Drunk History that was dedicated to Hawaiian folklore, which aired on August 12, 2014.

References

1. Arevalo, Elyssa. "The Future of ‘The Eddie’: Aikau Family Pleads with City, State Officials to Allow It to Continue." KHON2. N.p., 01 Nov. 2016. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.
2. Burlingame, Burl. "Eddie: Riding on the Crest of the Myth." Honolulu Star-Bulletin 6 Mar.1998: n. pag. Print.
3. Coleman, Stuart Holmes. Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero and Pioneer of Big Wave Surfing. New York, NY: St. Martin's Griffin, 2004. Print.
4. Davis, Dale, Greg MacGillivray, and Jim Freeman. "Aikau, Eddie." Encyclopedia Of Surfing. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.
5. Di Liberto, Tom. "Huge Waves Means It's Time to Surf in Hawai'i." Climate.gov. NOAA, 4 Mar. 2016. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.
6. Dubiel, Rex. "Eddie Aikau – Legend, Lifeguard, and Young Man Who Dared." Aloha Surf Guide. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
7. Good, Meaghan Elizabeth. "The Charley Project: Edward Ryan Makua Hanai Aikau." The Charley Project, 3 Aug. 2013. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.
8. Eddie Aikau." Eddie Aikau. Kapiolani Community College, n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.
9. Hachenberger, Eric. "The Legacy of Eddie Aikau." Kealakai. Brigham Young University-Hawaii, 4 Feb. 2016. Web. 28 Oct. 2016."
10. Hawaiian: The Legend of Eddie Aikau. Dir. Sam George. ESPN, 2013. Web. 30 Oct. 2016.
11. Hoyt, Carole. "Aikau Makes Waimea Bay Safer for the Beach Go-er." Honolulu Advertiser 19 Apr. 1972: n. pag. Print.
12. Morley, Gary. "Eddie Aikau Memorial: Surfing Stars Chase Big Waves." CNN. Cable News Network, 1 Dec. 2015. Web. 02 Nov. 2016.
13. "The Surfing Life Story of Eddie Aikau." The Surfing Life Story of Eddie Aikau. Surfer Today, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
14. United States. House of Representatives. House Resolution No. 41- “Eddie Aikau.” State of Hawaii, 2004. Web. 2 Nov. 2016.