The biggest swell in over a decade is about to slam into Maui, but the world’s most famous big wave surf competition – the Eddie Aikau – won’t be able to take advantage of it despite the surf falling square in the window of the event that’s only been held eight times in its 20-year history. Such is the nature of big wave surfing, and in this case, onshore winds of 15-20 knots or higher will make the monster waves all but unrideable, so the Eddie will wait for another day.
But there are sure to be plenty of adrenaline-charged, fearless wonders out there, and we’ll be expecting the usual emergency room-or-worse news tomorrow morning. Speaking of fearless, anyone remember when Laird Hamilton promised that foil boards would be the future of surfing, ideal for exactly these conditions? Was he completely full of shit, or did the lure of selling millions of SUPs and sailing on the PUMA VO70 wash all that big wave ambition off the legendary surfer forever? Calling Laird…Calling Laird…Come in, Laird…
If you get some shots of the monster waves, or you have the balls to bring a dinghy or sailboard out there to play, send us some pics. Tip o’ the hat to Paragon Sail Charters for the heads up.
