The Eddie – Big Wave Surf Comp at Waimea Bay, HI

I have good timing. The world’s longest-running and most prestigious big-wave invitational, The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau, known informally as the Eddie, is only held when the big swell at Waimea Bay reaches 20 feet Hawaiian – meaning at least 40 foot faces. I just happened to be in Hawaii last week when the conditions were right for the first time in five years.

Wave faces were easily 30 feet all day long, with most competitors trying to drop into the occasional 40 and 50 foot wave. Waimea was packed with at least 8,000 spectators – kids skipping school, Hawaiians skipping work, die-hard surfers in awe and dumbfounded tourists like me. A few talented surfers rode took waves all the way in, knowing the beach break would pummel them, as the crowd went wild. We held our breath as a competitor dropped into a huge face, exalted when they made it and cringed when they failed, all in one voice. The Eddie undeniably the best sports competition I’ve been too.