The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau Opening Ceremony 2011-2012

THE OPENING CEREMONY December 1, 3pm, Waimea Bay North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii
November 22, 2011 04:07AM

It might take a massive swell for the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau to be called “ON”, but the event that pays tribute to the legendary Hawaiian and his powerful legacy takes place every year, without fail: The official Opening Ceremony.

Big wave riding’s greatest gathering of the tribe happens once a year, on December 1st at Waimea Bay, when the 28 Invitees, 24 Alternates, surf legends past and present, and the Aikau family gather to pay sincere respects to Eddie. It’s a true ‘chicken skin’ moment.

The Opening Ceremony is a time when surfing embraces the Hawaiian culture from which it was born. Big Island Kahu Billy Mitchell, personal advisor to the Aikau Family, offers a blessing and rich insight for the surfers and organizers. He reminds them of whose footsteps they follow in and the role and responsibility they now have in carrying forth both the spirit of Aikau, and the ultimate brotherhood of big wave riders.

Waimea Bay has been the Mecca for big wave riders for more than 60 years, and the Eddie Opening Ceremony is a time to reflect upon big wave surfing’s ancestry.

“Nothing touches the Eddie, anybody will agree,” said Quiksilver charger Mark Healey in a recent interview. “There are a lot of other big waves and there are even bigger waves out there, but the thing about the Eddie is the history and the legacy of it.”

Should you find yourself on the Island of Oahu on December 1st, please join us in celebrating the life of Eddie Aikau, and the spirit of big wave riding.

E komo mai….Welcome.

Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Pics:

Invitees

Brock Little (Haw)
Bruce Irons (Haw)
Clyde Aikau (Haw)
Dave Wassel (Haw)
Greg Long (EUA)
Jamie O’Brien (Haw)
Jamie Sterling (Haw)
Kala Alexander (Haw)
Kelly Slater (EUA)
Keone Downing (Haw)
Kohl Christensen (Haw)
Makua Rothman (Haw)
Mark Healey (Haw)
Michael Ho (Haw)
Nathan Fletcher (EUA)
Noah Johnson (Haw)
Peter Mel (EUA)
Ramon Navarro (Chi)
Reef McIntosh (Haw)
Ross Clarke Jones (Aus)
Rusty Keaulana (Haw)
Shane Dorian (Haw)
Sunny Garcia (Haw)
Tom Carroll (Haw)
Carlos Burle (Bra)
Grant Baker (Afr)
Jeremy Flores (Fra)
Takayuki Wakita (Jap)

in memorian

Donny Solomon (Haw)
Jay Moriarty (EUA)
Lester Falatea (Haw)
Mark Foo (Haw)
Peter Davi (EUA)
Tiger Espere (Haw)
Todd Chesser (Haw)
Andy Irons (Haw)
Marvin Foster (Haw)
Sion Milosky (Haw)

Alternates

Kalani Chapman (Haw)
Garrett McNamara (Haw)
Ian Walsh (Haw)
Kahea Hart (Haw)
Alex Gray (EUA)
Chris Bertish (Afr)
Mark Mathews (Aus)
Shawn Dollar (EUA)
John John Florence (Haw)
Danilo Couto (Bra)
Jamie Mitchell (Aus)
Evan Valiere (Haw)
Gabriel Villaran (Per)
Danny Fuller (Haw)
Keoni Watson (Haw)
Ben Wilkinson (Aus)
Diego Medina (Chi)
Rusty Long (EUA)
Derek Dunfee (EUA)
Anthony Tashnick (EUA)
Ken Collins (EUA)
Kealii Mamala (Haw)
Ross Williams (Haw)
Tav Hannemann (Haw)

Champs

1985 – Denton Miyamura (Haw)
1986 – Clyde Aikau (Haw)
1990 – Keone Downing (Haw)
1999 – Noah Johnson (Haw)
2000 – Ross Clarke-Jones (Aus)
2002 – Kelly Slater (EUA)
2004 – Bruce Irons (Haw)
2009 – Greg Long (EUA)