In honor of the 40th anniversary of the inaugural Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, Haute Hawaii has been entrusted with the creation of the iconic lei necklace that will grace the shoulders of this year's champions and invitees.
Very little is known about this necklace and efforts to recreate this iconic piece were taken from 2 or 3 vintage photos. At the opening ceremony, Clyde Aikau - Eddie's younger brother and winner of the inaugural event back in 1984, held back emotion as he spoke of the piece. Culturally significant - Hair from his family members were wrapped in the necklace that Eddie wore. While there is no hair in the version we replicated for the contest, we tried to capture the essence of this significance with the materials and the hand made qualities of the piece.
The 45 invitees received their lei necklaces at the opening ceremony and wore them with great reverence for what it symbolized. For these surfers, The Eddie emblem was engraved with wood. For the winner of The Eddie Invitational, and the top 9th place surfers, the center Eddie emblem will be custom cast of pewter, courtesy of the title sponsor Rip Curl.
The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, held at the mythic Waimea Bay, stands as the pinnacle of big-wave surfing, a testament to courage and skill against the raw power of the ocean. We celebrate the incredible legacy of Eddie Aikau and feel honored to be invited to support an event that holds such deep meaning for the Aikau 'Ohana and the surfing community as a whole.