Women are making a historic splash at ‘the Eddie’ this year
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - “The Eddie” — one of the world’s most prestigious (and difficult) big-wave surfing contests — returns Sunday from a seven-year hiatus to make a splash in the history books.
And for the first time in the 39-year history of The Eddie Aikau Big Wave International, female surfers will be competing alongside the men. Out of the 40 surfers set to compete, six are women.
Female surfers include:
- Andrea Moller
- Emily Erickson
- Justine Dupont
- Keala Kennelly
- Makani Adric
- and Paige Alms.
“It’s just having fun, being out there with family and friends ... and trying to catch the biggest waves so we can all keep Eddie Aikau’s legacy alive,” said Adric.
Special Section: ‘The Eddie’
There will also be six female alternates: Bianca Valenti, Laura Enever, Raquel Heckert, Silvia Nabuco, Polly Ralda and Isabelle Leonhardt.
Kennelly was the first woman to ever earn an invite as a non-alternate at the end of 2016. However, that event, which was set to take place in the beginning of 2017 did not occur.
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