Hawaii awaits a rare event that attracts over 50,000 people

"It's an event so rare that it has only happened 11 times in the past 41 years, and when it's anticipated to run, all of Hawaii turns its attention to the North Shore of Oahu. People arrive a day or two ahead, sleeping in cars or tents on the side of the highway that leads to Waimea Bay and tailgating into the night to claim a sliver of parking. They're waiting to hear if the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational surfing contest, also called the Eddie for short, will get the green light from the lifeguards, who have the final say."

"They are all drawn together by a force unlike any other in surfing, one rooted in Native Hawaiian tradition and honoring the memory of Eddie Aikau, a Native Hawaiian waterman whose legacy is so powerful, his name alone can summon the masses. "When we run the Eddie, there's thousands of people that are there in the park and around, watching from the roadways, and I think they all feel the same thing," Linda Ipsen, the former wife of Eddie Aikau, told SFGATE. "They feel Eddie's spirit there.""

The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational triggers statewide attention when ocean conditions meet rare big-wave criteria; the event has run only 11 times in 41 years. Fans arrive days early, sleeping in cars or tents and tailgating to secure parking near Waimea Bay while waiting for lifeguards to give final approval. When held, the event draws over 50,000 people including North Shore residents, Honolulu townies, children, visitors, and aspiring surfers. The event honors Eddie Aikau, a pioneering Native Hawaiian waterman who became the North Shore's first lifeguard, rescued more than 500 people, and died attempting a rescue at sea in 1978.

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