HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational is on a yellow alert meaning the prestigious surfing event is on standby till possibly next week Friday.
That’s when a large swell is projected to roll into the islands.
The waiting period for the Eddie opened up Dec. 14 and will run through March 12.
“Where do we stand right now? Well, we’ve been looking at a swell for the last few days. Today, we got an update that this swell does have some good potential to reach that 50 foot height range,” said race director Liam McNamara.
Last year’s Eddie champion was local North Sore lifeguard Luke Shepardson who came out of the tower to edge out defending champion, John John Florence, who won the Eddie in 2016.
Surfers are coming in from around the world so they need at least a 72 hour notice as to whether the event will happen.
“It’s a matter of the timing of arrival. And also the wind. There’s some questions with the wind and also questions with is it going to peak out overnight. So we need eight hours of competition from eight to 450 foot faces. So it’s a lot to ask for. But last year, we got way more than that,” Mcnamara continued.