THE 2016 EDDIE AIKAU
MIKE CHLALA
Somewhere out there... are the surfers, cameramen, and Hawaiian Water Patrol.
El Niño! El Niño is a weather phenomenon that, for lack of a more scientific description, means a generous supply of a lot more oceanic energy than usual. Massive storms born in the North Pacific become significantly stronger and more frequent resulting in giant open ocean swells pummeling their way through the Pacific. Seemingly endless, swells with complete disregard for anything in their path including our schedules and our physical and mental conditioning keep pumping. The Eddie is a big-wave riding contest that demands a full day of waves over 20 feet, Hawaiian scale. Each year we await and honestly expect huge swells to pound our shorelines on the North Shore of Oahu. In our minds we are always thinking if this winter will be the one to send a swell huge and consistent enough that Eddie Would Go. The Bay hadn’t seen an Eddie since 2009, and with El Niño in the air we all had the feeling it was time. The 2015/2016 winter had been non-stop. Waimea Bay had been legitimately breaking several times per week with perhaps more than one “Eddie” sized swell to keep the know-it-alls skeptic and the local big wave legends happy. The 2016 Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau big-wave event did not unfold in just one day. Every great story has a back story... January 15, 2016
Kelly Slater gliding above an unknown gladiator.
John John Florence over the handlebars.
January 27, 2016 A swell with waves that reached well over the 20ft benchmark slammed the Hawaiian Islands. The swell arrived late morning and didn’t reach its peak until later in the day/overnight. I was on Maui, at Pe’ahi where the swell was 20 foot by 2pm and 30ft sets were chasing the paddle surfers away by sundown. It was an amazing experience watching waves of upwards to 70ft face value break top to bottom. Those sights and sounds are unforgotten. Thick sea-filled air coated our camera gear. “Eddie would’ve gone” was what I heard when I returned to Oahu. Top and bottom- Jaws going.... top to bottom, at maybe 25ft plus. Right - air drop to end all air drops.
FEBRUARY 10, 2016 “ALMOST EDDIE”
“Sorry, not sorry.” The Pacific laughs at us while we attempt to predict and even will conditions to our benefit. February 9, North Shore: 7:30pm and our town was all but shutdown. Traffic was barely moving, and cars were parked for miles in each direction from The Bay. With an Eddie swell supposedly heading our way you’d expect there to be more swell and forerunners approaching. But something felt off and oddly enough, we were surfing head high Sandbar just before dark. The quiet before the storm, or so we thought. No more beer. Foodland was overrun with endless lines around the building. Oh, you want beer? Yah right, those shelves were as barren as the desert. The beach that night more resembled Burning Man than a surf contest. People were partying, camping in tents, and sleeping on the sand. Traffic was still backed up in the middle of the night. We made a fire and played music, laughed ‘til we dropped and celebrated into the morning. It was going to be an epic day.
If a 20ft swell was really hitting, there would not have been enough safe beach left where thousands could camp and await daylight. It would all be awash! But the contest was still called ON, and so the people still flocked to The Bay in thousands. We kept waiting for the first surge of swell to take everyone off guard and put our shoreline fire out, but by 5:30am our fires still burned, everyone was dry, and the ocean was calm. By 7am the contest was called off. All that commotion, such irony. The swell eventually arrived but it came much later and a lot less consistent than was predicted. Beautiful, of course, and even though thousands had left The Bay there were thousands who had stayed back to watch all the legends take on some great Waimea Bay. In many ways, The Eddie did go on that day.
Mark Healey. Backside barrel hunting at Waimea. Wow.
Loving the water patrol’s reaction on the ski. He’s claiming for Healey. Glad someone did.
It’s a superfluous endeavor to begin the conversation of
wave height measurement. The specific height of a wave is a constant reaction to the ocean floor, and many times height is just not enough information to understand or describe the volume or energy a specific wave may have. In other words, it’s just not possible to accurately measure the unpredictable nature of moving water. That being said, there had been an immeasurable amount of swell leading up to the 2016 Eddie. The benchmark we use to gauge swells large enough for the Eddie is 20 feet. However, by no means is “20 feet” a scientific formula for wave size. It can become almost more opinion than science but in the end a “20 foot” swell produces wave face heights of at least 40ft. The waves are then big enough that “Eddie Would Go”. These images are from merely three days prior to the colossal size swell that would eventually call the true Eddie on. On February 22, 2016, the largest recorded swell to hit Hawaii in the last thirty years arrived. The particular storm that created this swell came too close in proximity to the the islands resulting in strong onshore winds and a relentless swell period. The ocean was off-limits, Waimea Bay was a complete wash out, and Shark’s Cove went next-level. Somehow, within just three days, the North Pacific created two historically powerful storms and sent two of the most intense and awe inspiring displays of nature’s pure power most of us had ever witnessed.
Right - Foodland parking lot and Sharks Cove exploding into an oblivion.
A defined outer reef somewhere outside Pipeline.
Sharks Cove in all it’s glory. One of Mother Nature’s finest works of art. How big is that wave breaking out the back?
February 25, 2016 Were we chasing a dream? It all seemed that it would never happen. The Eddie had become so mythical. One could say that because of all the big waves being ridden around the world, especially at Jaws, that Waimea couldn’t live up to the hype. It just didn’t get as big or as gnarly as what we had been seeing this whole freakish El Niño winter. Between Jaws and Mavericks and the Eddie not having gone in six years I wasn’t sure if the conditions that were being asked to run the event had become unrealistic. We didn’t know if we had it in us to go through the build up again just to wait on Mother Nature to make up her mind. We weren’t looking forward to our town shutting down like that again. There were lots of things happening that could have stalled the Eddie. There had been chances to run already during the season that just didn’t work out. Quiksilver had filed for bankruptcy, and Jaws has grabbed a lot of the attention with guys pushing the limits of big wave riding, especially in the barrel. So many of us had gone though the ups and downs of ‘almost Eddie’ and looking at nonstop giant swell after giant swell for 2 months straight. It was overwhelming. As emotionally invested in your surroundings as we are, you feel it. It’s a strange notion having your thoughts and emotions be attached to something so completely out of your control. However, the day you only ever hear about as legend, as myth, had finally arrived. It was here. It completely shattered any expectations anyone had of Waimea and big wave surfing. All skeptics, cynics and negative vibes were all stopped in their tracks. All those thoughts and questions that had been shuffling around for 2 months were put to rest. Unreal. The pages that follow are a result of stars aligning… the waves, the wind, the surfers-gladiators willing to put it all on the line, the crowd, event organizers, and countless unseen forces all had to conspire. My lens and my soul are still covered in the sea spray. The air was physically filled with saltwater and figuratively filled with equal parts love, positivity, and pure stoke. Even after all the El Niño hype, false starts and Internet coverage of big wave surfing limits being pushed beyond what we thought was possible, NONE OF THAT, literally none of it, could have prepared us for what was about to unfold. The limits of athleticism, will power, skill, and experience were all pushed and shattered the ceiling of possibility. Just when you thought you’d seen it all in one winter….
Kelly Slater and the real deal. How’s that set out the back, though?
Early morning was incredibly raw. The sea and the sky were working well together to create this scene, this inexplainable feeling.
You can run, but you can’ t hide.
Kelly Slater and Twiggy Baker share a sketchy situation.
Kelly Slater finishes the wave while Twiggy goes involuntary freediving.
Again, Grant “Twiggy� Baker goes for broke and takes one of the best/worst wipeouts of the day.
Raw Power
The Hawaiian Water Patrol on jet skis outrunning a huge closeout set. Could be as tall as 50ft plus, 25ft plus Hawaiian scale.
Kala Alexander and Makua Rothman collide, meanwhile brother Koa Rothman makes the wave.
Going...right?
Bruce Irons and the casual kickout.
Ross Clarke-Jones on one of the waves of the day. 1 of 3.
2 of 3
3 of 3. The crowd and RCJ share a moment with hands up claims.
Teamwork makes the dream work. Water Patrolman gives photographer Keoki Saguibo a helping hand up onto the sled.
Then it’s time to face the music.
Koa Rothman with an amazing and brave attempt at a late drop. 1 of 3.
Koa. 2 of 3.
Koa. 3 of 3.
Feel the energy
Below sea level party wave.
Uncle Clyde Aikau!
Clyde Aikau deep on a bomb! Very inspiring!
John John Florence seems like he’s contemplating what is about to take place. Imagine what’s inside his headspace before he goes to tackle life threatening conditions in front of 30,000 people. That’s the mental game.
John committed to being steep and deep. Yah Buddy! 1 of 3.
JJF. 2 of 3.
JJF 3 of 3.
Just minutes before the contest ended freesurfers were already in the lineup. The sense of peace that Aaron portrays in this photo is in direct contrast to his surroundings. It’s a life lesson in how to stay calm when everything around you seems to be going crazy, just like Three Tables here in the background.
“Love was in the air!” The winner of the 2016 Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Surfing Invitational? The history book will say John-John Florence. But if you were there, you know that this was everyone’s day, everybody won. Every surfer, every photographer, everybody on the beach, everybody watching from online, everyone! The human race won that day! In that moment the connection and respect between nature and man was so beautifully intertwined. It was a breath of fresh air for our society and an amazing display of what a large group of people are capable of given the right environment. You’d expect chaos out of 30,000 humans running free, partying and cheering like crazy, but there was none. Everyone was just as stoked and as mind blown as the person next to them. There is no time for negativity when guys are dodging 30 foot close outs sets and your jaw won’t leave the ground. We were all connected, there for the same reason and equally in disbelief. Love was in the air!
“Yeah, there goes 3,000 excuses in my head for why or why not!” The swell was so big that my initial logic confessed to me that it was literally impossible to be out in the ocean actually catching waves in and around huge close-out sets and an intense current most of has have no idea about. I witnessed the impossible happen and that was electrifying and eye-opening to experience the potential we a have as people. To be real, I didn’t know anyone could take it that far physically or mentally. Yeah, there goes 3,000 excuses in my head for why or why not. Major respect to everyone and at the top of the list are the competitors, water patrol, and photographers in the water during the greatest day Waimea has produced in many years. You guys performed what seems impossible and cheers to you! We all know that everyone in line-up were winners and incredibly happy and grateful that John John Florence got the official title and kept it on the North Shore. He absolutely surfed Waimea with next-level comfort and skill. Eddie is smiling and proud. Fast on their feet and in addition to and despite a season’s worth of criticism, the event organizers put an end to any misconceptions and did an outstanding job of putting on a event of such magnitude with so much organization so quickly and accurately. I believe it ended up being a blessing that the other potential swells of the season didn’t become the day of the Eddie because it seemed to make February 25 truly special and have that much more impact. Not to mention it was by far the best Waimea swell of the already historic winter. A Personal Note - The 2016 Eddie is a day I will never forget, and I feel extremely fortunate to have had the chance to be a part of something so great. My camera didn’t leave my grasp for eight hours straight and I saw men ride mountains and literally conquer the impossible. Witnessing such courage, that kind of ferocity and determination is bound to rub off. There is now a separation in my life that I didn’t know existed; perception of reality before The Eddie and after. The lens of my camera along with inner soul will be forever coated in the day’s sea-spray. Huge shout out to Uncle Clyde Aikau for paddling out in maxing Pacific Ocean and honoring his brother Eddie and the ocean he loves. Getting to see him paddle out and surf his last Eddie was like seeing Noah step off the Ark for the last time, it was a religious and unforgettable experience. The following Eddies are going to have a hard time following behind this one. I can’t wait to see what happens next!
Thanks to all the great people who shared this experience with me. You know who you are! ... All rights reserved Mike Chlala 2016
Mike Chlala 2016