“He didn’t think he was bigger than anyone else,” he explained. David Bettencourt, who met Aikau after he came back from a surfing competition in South Africa, said that he was surprisingly humble about his accomplishments. He also placed high in several other competitions throughout the decade. He won the prestigious Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship in 1977, four years after his brother Clyde won. #EddieAikauĪ post shared by Hokulea on at 9:44pm PDTĭespite his workload as a lifeguard, Aikau remained an avid surfer. A star in our minds eye that continues to guide us. Your heart is bigger than the waves you surf and the world your spirit occupies. He Was An Accomplished Surfer Who Won the Duke Classic In 1977 In 2008, an election campaign for Honolulu rail transit used the slogan “Eddie would ride.” Aikau’s story was also retold by comedian Kurt Braunohler in an episode of Drunk History.ģ. The phrase, and its many variations, are still used today throughout Hawaii. That’s where the saying came from - Eddie would go, when no else would or could. “Aikau was a legend on the North Shore, pulling people out of waves that no one else would dare to. “The phrase ‘Eddie would go’ predates Hokule’a,” says maritime historian Mac Simpson. The phrase “Eddie would go” became popular in the area, as word of his daring rescues spread. ![]() Hawaiian Voyage Tradition states that Aikau rarely filed paperwork, so its possible that the number of lives he saved was even greater than 500. ![]() During his career, he was voted 1971 Lifeguard of the Year and managed to save over 500 lives without the aid of modern equipment. After the roving patrol for Waimea Island was disbanded, Aikau was assigned to Waimea Bay, where he continued to save lives. He was given the task of covering all beaches between Sunset and Haleiwa, which he did until 1971. In 1968, Aikau convinced the City & County of Honolulu to select him as their first lifeguard. He Was Appointed As the First Lifeguard of Waimea Bay In 1968 “He’d take off on a big, big scary wave, and he’d be sliding down it with the biggest smile you ever saw. He was instantly embraced by them, and photos of his performance found their way to Life Magazine. In 1967, an unknown Aikau showed up to Waimea Bay and managed to handle thundering forty foot waves alongside celebrity surfers like Greg Noll, Rick Grigg, Felipe Pomar and George Downing. His younger brother Clyde told Surfer Today that he always sought out a way to push himself further. “Eddie was a pretty quiet guy, but when there was a challenge, or some risk to be taken or a game to be played that everybody wanted to win, Eddie seemed to rise to the top,” he recalled. He got a job at the Dole pineapple cannery, where he saved up enough money to buy his first surfboard.Īikau would often surf on the South and North Shore’s of Oahu. His family moved to Oʻahu in 1959, and by the time he turned 16, Aikau had left school. He was the third child of Solomon and Henrietta Aikau, and he learned to surf at Kahului Harbor in Maui. Happy Birthday to Eddie Aikau (Lifeguard & Surfer) #EddieAikau #Lifeguard #Surfer Google honoured him with a doodle on 73rd birthday on 04-05-2019 About: Ī post shared by Celebrity Born on at 2:04am PDTĪikau was born Edward Ryon Makuahanai Aikau on May 4, 1946.
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