Contestants of the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau, fueled by Monster Energy, were calling the waves at Waimea Bay today bigger than any contested the past three times this event ran. But organizers opted to employ patience and wait for tuesday as surface conditions are forecast to improve with wave size continuing in the giant range. Wave face heights were in the 25- to 40-foot range today and rising. It made for a dramatic warm-up that thousands flocked to the North Shore of Oahu to witness.
The invitees to the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau weren't far behind them and headed out at dawn into the salt-spray, mist-filled lineup in search of the "big one".
"Waimea is something special," said contest director George Downing. "You've got to have the right ingredients. You've got to wait until the puzzle of Waimea comes together. You're sending the top notch big wave riders out there and they're all hungry. They all want to catch that wave."
Two-time world champion surfer Tom Carroll, one of the most famous entries to the event, was also its first casualty. As he dropped into a wave, the full power of the lip crashed down, compressing him and tearing apart his ankle. He left the beach in an ambulance and was bitterly disappointed he will not be surfing again this year.
"I took a wave, it wasn't that big a wave, just a real freaky accident"," says Carroll, 48,The whole load of whitewater hit me all at once right at the bottom of the wave. My ankle separated from my tibia and fibula, so it was just flopping. I'm hoping there's no break in there. I was comfortable out there. There's some big waves coming through, but I was comfortable. It's a real bummer. I was just really ready to go for the Eddie."
The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau, fueled by Monster Energy, is on standby to take place today. Invitees will contend for the $98K prize purse and Monster Drop award. This is the only big wave event in the world that is sanctioned by the Association of Surfing Professionals.
Held in honor of the legendary Hawaiian waterman, Eddie Aikau, The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau, fueled by Monster Energy, gathers the most skillful and dynamic big-wave surfers from around the globe. It is the world's longest running and most prestigious big-wave invitational and is the only one sanctioned by the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), the governing body of professional surfing.
