‘The Eddie’ is on! Tens of thousands gather on North Shore for big wave surf contest
WAIMEA BAY (HawaiiNewsNow) - It’s official: Landon McNamara has won the 2024 Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational.
He received 135.8 points as well as the highest-scoring wave of the competition — a perfect score of 50 — which earned him the Best Wave Award.
“This is a childhood dream of mine, something I’ve been working at since being a little kid on the beach here, watching these events go down,” he said. “I don’t know what to feel right now. I’ve already cried 10 times.
“I’m grateful to Eddie,” McNamara said. “Both my heats, I had a turtle I was following. For real. ... They say Eddie picks the winner, and I’m so grateful he picked me.”
The accomplishment is even more fitting considering his father, Liam McNamara, is the contest director.
The top nine finishers were:
- Landon McNamara (HI, 2024 WINNER)
- Mason Ho (HI)
- Billy Kemper (HI)
- Jamie O’Brien (HI)
- Nic Lamb (CA)
- Luke Shepardson (HI, 2023 WINNER)
- Nathan Florence (HI)
- Kai Lenny (HI)
- Koa Rothman (HI)
Competitor Greg Long of California, who won the big wave invitational in 2009, received the Aloha Spirit Award. Sunday was his final “Eddie” as he retires from the competition.
“Participating in this event has been the greatest honor and privilege of my life,” he said.
‘Amazing day of competition’
Tens of thousands of people gathered on Oahu’s North Shore to witness the historic event Sunday.
Waves were 50 feet in face height, according to Liam McNamara.
“The conditions are amazing. There’s a strong offshore breeze right now,” McNamara told Hawaii News Now early Sunday morning. “We’re looking for an amazing day of competition. This is a historic day. We want to make sure we start it with a bang and we end with a bang.”
This is the 11th time “The Eddie” has run in the last 40 years, and participation is by invitation only.
THE EDDIE IS ON: View our complete coverage
Several 1st-time, 2nd-generation ‘Eddie’ surfers in top 10 after round one
At the end of round one, contest director McNamara noted first-time competitors make up half of the top 10, and several are second-generation big wave surfers, including Landon McNamara, Mason Ho, son of professional surfer Michael Ho, and Chad Keaulana, who follows in the footsteps of father, Brian, and grandfather, “Buffalo,” both legends in the community.
“This is a dream come true for them. When this big event runs, they put everything aside and this is their focus. This is their goal. This is their dream,” McNamara said.
Lifeguards proud to celebrate Eddie Aikau’s legacy in big wave contest
The prestigious lineup included two City and County of Honolulu lifeguards — one of whom is the defending champion.
Luke Shepardson took the surfing world by storm when he won the last “Eddie” on Jan. 22, 2023, beating some of the best in the world.
He was among the first competitors to paddle out at 9 a.m. Sunday.
“It looks like we got a bomb coming and it’s going to be a good day,” he told Hawaii News Now just prior to the competition.
Eddie Aikau was a legendary waterman who served as the first lifeguard for the North Shore, including Waimea Bay, and saved over 500 people throughout his career.
Initially listed as an alternate, North Shore surfer and fellow lifeguard Joey Cadiz got the word early Sunday that he would be competing.
“All of us, as lifeguards, we all take a part of Eddie’s story with us every day that we go to work,” Cadiz said.
Powerful swells lead to several injuries at big wave surf competition
The powerful swell led to injuries that forced several surfers to leave the competition, including Laura Enever of Australia, Mark Healy of Hawaii, and Greg Long of California.
As surfers are taken out of the competition, alternates are brought in for a chance to take on the monster waves at Waimea Bay.
Lifeguards warn public to be careful while watching monstrous surf
First responders, including police, fire, ocean safety, medical services, and emergency management personnel were on high alert to ensure the public stayed safe.
Honolulu Ocean Safety and Emergency Medical Services ramped up resources with extra lifeguards stationed at Waimea Bay.
Officials said there were too many close calls during the last “Eddie” in 2023.
“We have to have people listen to the lifeguards. We have to have them stay back. We have to have them move quickly. If they’re going to make a move, they got to go quick,” said Honolulu Emergency Services Department spokesperson Shayne Enright.
“We just don’t want to get into a situation where we saw in that viral video all those people being swept up and close to being taken out into the ocean. We don’t need to have that,” Enright said.
Get a bird’s eye view of Waimea Bay as tens of thousands gather for ‘The Eddie’
By dawn Sunday, massive crowds had already gathered with parking lots filled to capacity at Waimea Bay.
At 4:40 a.m., Honolulu police issued an update, saying the area was experiencing significant traffic congestion with an estimated 10,000 attendees.
One spectator arrived at 1 a.m. from Hawaii Kai and camped out until the park opened.
“Last year I tried to come, but it didn’t happen, so I’m stoked to be here,” he said. “I expect to see big waves, have a lot of fun, and enjoy the crowd.”
Officials advised the public to take public transportation, or stay home and watch the contest on television or online on rogue.tv or ripcurl.com.
Previous Coverage:
- From parking to park rules, here’s what you need to know to watch the 2024 Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational
- North Shore businesses prepare for ‘The Eddie’ crowds
- ‘We are on’: The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational gets green light for Sunday
- Will ‘Eddie’ go? What big-wave contest organizers are looking for
- With ‘The Eddie’ possible, groups and organizers urge safety — and to leave a lot at home
- Yellow alert for ‘The Eddie’ this weekend as north-shore surf rises to dangerous levels
- SPECIAL SECTION: 2023 Eddie Aikau Stories
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