The Eddie

The first tournament took place in 1985 and was directed by George Downing and sponsored by Quiksilver.^[8]

The "Eddie would go" phrase related to the tournament was coined by big surf legend Mark Foo.^[9] In February 1986, Mark Foo lost first place at the competition when Eddie's brother Clyde Aikau beat him.^{[10] [11]}

The tournament is known for a unique requirement that open-ocean swells reach a minimum height of 20 feet (6.1 m) before the competition can be held. Open-ocean swells of this height generally translate to wave faces in the bay of 30 feet (9.1 m) to 40 feet (12 m). As a result of this requirement, the tournament has only been held a few times during the history of the event, most recently in 2024.^[12]

Each year, 28 to 40 surfers, chosen by a polling of their peers, are invited to Waimea Bay to attend the opening ceremony ("Blessing of Eddie Aikau" held on the first Thursday of December). During the competition window, these surfers await an official call (which does not always occur),^[13] at which time they have 12 hours to arrive at Waimea Bay to check in the morning of the competition. Participants compete in two rounds of about four or five heats each during the competition day, which is generally from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Each heat in the first round lasts 45 minutes, and 50 minutes in the second round. Surfers' four best-scoring waves over both rounds make up their total score.

Eddie Aikau's brother, Clyde Aikau, won the second "Eddie" in 1986.^[1][14] Before Eddie's death, at the age of 31 in 1978, the two brothers had surfed together and competitively, for a number of years. They are the only native Hawaiians to win the Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship.

The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Service was held in 1995 but the contest was called off when the ocean swells dropped. The $50,000 purse was then distributed to participants, which included Garrett McNamara.^[15][16]

On January 28, 1998, Hawaii issued a "Condition Black" due to above-average behemoth surf, and restricted all access to all North Shore beaches, including Waimea Bay; so the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau was canceled that year.^[17]

The 2023 event included female surfers for the first time in the contest's history.^[18][a]

The 2024 event was announced on December 20, and the 11th competition took place on December 22.^[20][21]

The 2025-2026 event was announced in early December. The window for the competition is December 7 to March 6. ^[22]