It’s official, there will be no Eddie. The 23rd annual Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau officially came to a close this weekend. In a year that will go down as the worst ever for waves on the North Shore, it never really had a chance.

The Eddie has always been more than just a big-wave contest. Aside from giving surfers from around the world a chance to prove themselves against the original “big-wave”, it provides a yearly opportunity for the surfing community to honor the legend that is Eddie Aikau.

Since it’s inaugural running in 1985, the Eddie has only actually ran seven times. Event organizers are as strict as any when it comes to making the call to hold the contest, as evidenced by the words of contest director George Downing;

Of course, we would love to have had the contest this year, but the one thing we’ll never do is compromise the standards we have set. It’s that 20-foot-plus standard that sets Waimea apart from other big-wave venues and that made the place special to Eddie.

I guess when you are honoring a man whose countless acts of heroism and big-wave prowess inspired the most famous three words in surfing, “Eddie would go”, compromising your standards is simply not an option. And that is what gives the Eddie the prestige that it holds. It’s more than just a big-wave event, it’s a tribute to a legend.

quiksilver

Tags: Quiksilver

Posted by Shaun on Sunday, March 2nd, 2008 in Surfing.

• -The “Eddie” 101
• -Mark Healey Cover’s Stick Size With Eddie Invitee’s
• -Eddie Didn’t Go, Ku Ikaika Did
• -Get Ready for the Eddie Aikau: Video
• -Notes From The Mecca: Big Swells On The Way