About Me
Eddie Aikau was perhaps the most well-known Hawaiian lifeguard and big wave surfer ever. As the first lifeguard at Waimea Bay on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, he saved countless lives and became a very successful big wave surfer in his own right. Not one life was lost while he served as lifeguard of Waimea Bay, while he braved surf that often reached bigger than 20 feet high. He became most famous for surfing the big Hawaiian surf and winning several surfing awards, including the 1977 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship. The local saying "Eddie Would Go" refers to his courage to take on big waves that others would shy away from.
He tradgically vanished when a ship capsized and he volunteered to paddle nearly 12 miles to land to get help. In rememberance of his courage, the surfwear company Quiksilver holds a contest for the best big wave surfers, known as the Eddie Aikau Invitational Surf Contest.
