In 1978, the Polynesian Voyaging Society was seeking volunteers for a 30-day, 2,500-mile (4,000 km) journey to re-enact the ancient route of the Polynesian migration between the Hawaiian and Tahitian island chains. On February 28, 1978, TV producer John Orland was the last person Aikau rescued at Waimea Bay. In 1977 Aikau won the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship. In 1971, Aikau was named Lifeguard of the Year. Not one life was lost while he served as lifeguard of Waimea Bay, as he braved waves that often reached 30 feet (9.1 m) high or more, and saved the lives of more than 500 swimmers. The City & County of Honolulu gave Aikau the task of covering all of the beaches between Sunset and Haleiwa. In 1968, he became the first lifeguard hired by the City & County of Honolulu to work on the North Shore. He moved to Oʻahu with his family in 1959, and at the age of 16 left school and started working at the Dole pineapple cannery the paycheck allowed Aikau to buy his first surfboard. Aikau first learned how to surf on the shorebreak of Kahului Harbor. He was a descendant of Hewahewa, the kahuna nui (high priest) of King Kamehameha I and his successor Kamehameha II. The words Makua Hanai in Eddie Aikau's full name means feeding parent, an adoptive, nurturing, fostering parent, in the Hawaiian language. Life īorn in Kahului, Maui, Aikau was the second child of Solomon and Henrietta Aikau. He was also a crew member on the Polynesian voyaging canoe Hōkūleʻa. The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational ("The Eddie") is named in his honor. As the first lifeguard at Waimea Bay on the island of Oahu, he saved over 500 people and became famous for surfing the big Hawaiian surf, winning several awards including the 1977 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship. Waimea Bay (North Shore, Oahu), Sunset Beach (North Shore, Oahu), Pipeline (North Shore, Oahu)Įdward Ryon Makuahanai Aikau ( Kahului, Hawaii, – March 17, 1978) was a Hawaiian lifeguard and surfer. Off Molokai/ Lanai, Hawaii, United States “I wish all the participants the best of luck,” she said.Kahului, Territory of Hawaii, United States She urged visitors to carpool and take the bus because the roads will be congested. Kathleen Pahinui, the chairperson of the North Shore Neighborhood Board, said it will be good for businesses, restaurants and shops. The contest is expected to attract tens of thousands of spectators to the two-lane highway winding through the North Shore and the small towns that dot the coastal community. “To see women - not only women surfing Waimea but women and men sharing the same event together, with mutual respect and equality - I’m just really thrilled at the thought,” Pennybacker said. She said they’ve had to fight to be included and have meanwhile shown that they could handle big waves in spots around the world. Mindy Pennybacker, a surf columnist for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and author of the upcoming book “Surfing Sisterhood Hawaii: Wahine Reclaiming the Waves” said there’s long been an assumption that Waimea was too dangerous for women and they couldn’t surf there. Keala Kennelly of Kauai, a women’s big wave surf champion, is among the female invitees. John John Florence, who hails from the North Shore and who has won two back-to-back world titles, has also been asked to join. This year organizers have invited 40 competitors and 18 alternates from around the world, including Kelly Slater, who has won a record 11 world surfing titles. We’re surfing in the spirit of Eddie,”′ Coleman said. “They always say at the opening ceremony, where they gather to launch the holding period, ’This is not just a contest. Coast Guard rescued the remaining crew a few hours later after being alerted by a commercial plane that spotted the canoe.Ĭoleman said The Eddie is about the best of big wave surfing and the best of Hawaiian culture. Aikau volunteered to paddle several miles to nearby Lanai Island on his surfboard to get help for the rest of the crew but was never seen again. Just hours out of port, the giant double-hulled canoe known as the Hokulea took on water and overturned in stormy weather. Aikau died in 1978 at the age of 31 during an expedition to sail a traditional Polynesian voyaging canoe from Honolulu to Tahiti.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |