Eddie Aikau is truly an
inspiring man, his courage and bravery are only a couple of his
admirable qualities. Please read this
summary
of his life. EDWARD RYAN AIKAU was born May 4, 1946, the third of
six children, Frederick, Myra Edward.Gerald, Solomon III and Clyde.
The Aikau family was rich in love and tradition. Eddie's father,"Pops,"
Aikau took Eddie's mother
Henrietta and the family surfing nearly every weekend. Plus on
surfing holidays; often helping the children drag a 75 lb.
wooden board to the beach.
That early exposure nurtured a lifelong love and appreciation of
surfing in the entire family.
Early in 1967, Eddie surfed
fifteen foot Sunset for the first time. On November 19, of that
same year,
Eddie shared one of the best and biggest days at Waimea Bay with
some of the top big wave
riders on earth. A virtual unknown, he took off deepest on the
biggest waves to come through,
stunning the beach when he rode a giant 40 foot set wave. There
was no doubt about his
heart and courage; Eddie would go. Eddie surfed in the timeless
Hawaiian style, he didn't surf
on the wave - he danced with it, fearlessly, gracefully, and
beautifully merging with the power.
His extraordinary ability as
a waterman made him the natural choice to be the first lifeguard
at Waimea Bay.
Waimea was Eddie's favorite surf spot and he shared his knowledge
about the big waves
and their line-ups with the young up and coming Hawaiian surfers;
tutoring them through the
fear and empowering them with knowledge that allowed them to
thrive where most men feared
to be. Eddie courageously risked his life so that others would
live. In the spirit of the Duke,
he wasn't interested in rewards or thanks; he only filed reports
on a small portion of those lives he saved. His peers saw
what he was doing and in 1971
recognized his contribution by voting him Lifeguard of the Year.
Professional surfing got a
boost from Eddie in 1976, the first year of the I.P.S. world tour.
Along with Hawaiian surf stars Barry
Kanaiaupuni and Jeff Hakman, Eddie, ranking of 12th in the world
ratings helped legitimize the fledgling pro tour. By this
time the Aikau household was
jammed with surfing trophies and photos of Eddie and Clyde riding
waves. Eddie appeared in surf
movies featuring Hawaii and a picture of him riding his famous red
board was even printed on checks. Eddie's strong
connection
to his Hawaiian heritage drove him to become one of the nine crew
members chosen by the Polynesian Voyaging
Society
to reenact the voyage of Hawaiian discovery on the traditionally
built sailing canoe, "Hokule'a". The Hokule'a
(Hawaiian name for the star
Arcturus, literal translation Hoku - star, le'a -joy, pleasure,
happiness) was a 60' double hulled
canoe
built by the Polynesian Voyaging Society to reenact historic voyages
of exploration and settlement. Relying on
knowledge,
craft and experience, Polynesians navigated vast stretches of the
Pacific ocean on their migrations to new islands.
Navigators
used precise observations of the stars, sun, moon, winds, ocean
swells and currents, and flights of birds; charting
their
progress by memory. Since 1976, the Hokule'a has sailed over 24,000
nautical miles, proving the validity traditional
building
and navigation techniques and confirming that the ancient Polynesian
chants and legends recalling adventures of brave
voyagers
and successes of planned migrations are true. Eddie had already done
all he could as a waterman, voyaging as a
crew
member on the Hokule'a was a way for him to grow; learn more about
his people - and himself. They launched from the
Magic
Island dock at 7:00 PM the evening of March 16, 1978 - it was an
exciting and emotional departure. Several hours
out,
northwest of Lanai in one of the most treacherous stretches of ocean
on earth - the Kaiwi Channel, they were hit by heavy
weather.
Taking on water and pounded by twelve foot swells and lashed by gale
force winds, they were drifted out of shipping
and
air lanes - and away from rescue. With crew members clinging to the
capsized craft and in doubt as to rescue, Eddie
decided
to paddle his board for Lanai, some twelve miles to the east. For
the last time, Eddie would go. While the crew was
found
the next day, Eddie never was. The loss was deep to the Hawaiian
people. They mounted the largest air sea rescue
search
in the history of the Hawaiian Islands; but no trace was ever found.
Eddie Aikau - Hawaiian - his body had followed
where
his spirit had
.
.
.
. Giuseppe Repetto Surf
Photographer, Giuseppe RepettoFotografo Sprtivo, Giuseppe
Repetto Digital Photographer, Giuseppe Repetto sport
Photographer, Giuseppe Repetto Fotografo Digitale,
Giuseppe Repetto Photography, Giuseppe Repetto Fotografo,
Giuseppe Repetto Areal Photographer, Giuseppe Repetto
Fotografo Aereo
