Good morning all,
It’s 5 degrees in Hood River. We are not talking about the wind today.
We are, however, going to talk about waves. At the Oregon Coast today, we have 7ft @ 20 seconds, building to 13ft @ 18 seconds. That’s huge. If you can go watch Nelscott Reef or Seaside Point break today, you should. If not, you have an even better option: Watch the Eddie Aikau live on the inter-web: http://live.quiksilver.com/2009/eddie/index.php?btn_home=_over
You don’t know about the Eddie? It’s only the biggest paddle-in contest on the planet, and today’s waves are going to be the biggest ever in contest history. Waimea was breaking at 30-40 feet yesterday! The Eddie hasn’t gone in 5 years, but it looks like it will go today.
Wait, you don’t know about Eddie? Eddie Aikau was a Northshore lifeguard (the first at Waimea) who paddled out in anything, both to surf and to save lives. According to Wikipedia, “In 1978, the Polynesian Voyaging Society was seeking volunteers for a 30-day, 2,500-mile journey to follow the ancient route of the Polynesian migration between the Hawaiian and Tahitian island chains. At 31 years of age, Aikau joined the voyage as a crew member… The double-hulled voyaging canoe developed a leak in one of the hulls and later capsized about twelve miles south of the island of Molokai. In an attempt to get help, Aikau paddled toward Lanai on his surfboard. Although the rest of the crew was later rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard, Aikau was never seen again. The ensuing search for Aikau was the largest air-sea search in Hawaii history”
If you need a hero or a role model, Eddie is your man. He gave everything he had to pursue his passion, surfing, and he gave everything, including his life, to help others.
Eddie would go.
Have a great day,
Temira
