Will ‘Eddie’ go? What big-wave contest organizers are looking for
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - There’s a chance “The Eddie” could go this weekend.
At around 4 p.m. Wednesday, organizers issued a “yellow alert” for the Rip Curl The Eddie Big Wave Invitational to possibly run this Sunday as a super-sized swell comes rolling in.
LEARN MORE: Yellow alert for ‘The Eddie’ this weekend as north-shore surf rises to dangerous levels
Contest director Liam McNamara told Hawaii News Now Sunrise that their team is closely monitoring the swell conditions.
So far, the forecast is looking good.
“We’re pretty confident that we’re gonna be running the event on Sunday. We’re crossing our fingers,” he said. “We have a group chat with all the competitors. Everybody is psyching up. Everybody is watching the swell like we are.”
A final decision is expected at 8 a.m. Friday.
He said if the alert level changes from yellow to green, it’ll be “all hands on deck” to get the surf contest in motion.
The Eddie runs only in the heaviest conditions. For the event to be called on, waves must consistently reach at least 20+ feet (Hawaiian scale) with ideal conditions pushing 30-40 feet.
“In order to run this event, we have to have a good solid eight hours of waves over 40 feet,” McNamara explained. “The swell is forecasted and looking amazing for us to get those conditions. When you when you’re running an event like this and to have a full day of competition, you got to look at swell size, swell direction, the wind condition and the timing of the arrival.”
McNamara added, “Everything seems to be lining up. I mean, all four factors that we look at are all in the higher percentage of being what we want. So that is why we went yellow yesterday, and that is why we will be trying to push into a green pattern tomorrow.”
The Eddie has only run 10 times in the last 40 years, and participation is by invitation only. The 2024-2025 invitees are:
KĀNE
- Aaron Gold (HI)
- Billy Kemper (HI)
- Bruce Irons (HI - 2004 WINNER)
- Chad Keaulana (HI)
- Eli Olson (HI)
- Ezekiel Lau (HI)
- Francisco Porcella (ITALY)
- Greg Long (CA - 2009 WINNER)
- Ian Walsh (HI)
- Jake Maki (HI)
- Jamie Mitchell (HI)
- Jamie O’Brien (HI)
- John John Florence (HI - 2016 WINNER)
- Jojo Roper (CA)
- Kai Lenny (HI)
- Kauli Vaast (TAHITI - 2024 Olympic Gold Medalist)
- Keali‘i Mamala (HI)
- Kelly Slater (CA - 2002 WINNER)
- Koa Rothman (HI)
- Kohl Christensen (HI)
- Landon McNamara (HI)
- Lucas Chianca (BRAZIL)
- Luke Shepardson (HI - 2023 WINNER)
- Makuakai Rothman (HI)
- Mark Healey (HI)
- Mason Ho (HI)
- Matt Bromley (SOUTH AFRICA)
- Nathan Florence (HI)
- Nic Lamb (CA)
- Peter Mel (CA)
- Ross Clarke-Jones (AUS - 2001 WINNER)
- Russell Bierke (AUS)
- Taio Shipman (HI)
- Torrey Meister (HI)
- Tyler Larronde (HI)
ALTERNATES
- Ha‘a Aikau (HI)
- Joey Cadiz (HI)
- Eala Stewart (HI)
- Ben Wilkinson (AUS)
- Grant Twiggy Baker (SOUTH AFRICA)
- Koa Smith (HI)
- Tiger Doerner (HI)
- Michael Sanborn (HI)
- Ivan Florence (HI)
- Mikey O’Shaughnessy (HI)
- Kala Grace (HI)
- Barron Mamiya (HI)
- Tom Robert Lowe (UK)
- Alonso Correa (PERU)
- Othmane Choufani (MOROCCO)
- Natxo Gonzalez (SPAIN)
- Isamu Sumi (JAPAN)
- Cristian Merello (CHILE)
- Manny Resano (NICARAGUA)
- Conor Maguire (IRELAND)
WAHINE
- Annie Starr Reichert (HI)
- Bianca Valenti (CA)
- Emily Erickson (HI)
- Felicity Palmateer (AUS)
- Justine Dupont (FRANCE)
- Keala Kennelly (HI)
- Laura Enever (AUS)
- Makani Adric (HI)
- Moana Jones Wong (HI)
- Paige Alms (HI)
ALTERNATES
- Izzy Gomez (HI)
- Skylar Lickle (HI)
- Tiare Lawrence (HI)
- Andrea Moller (HI)
- Anne Dos Santos (BRAZIL)
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