Swell Saturday: The Best/Worst Wipeouts from “The Eddie” Big Wave Comp Last Week

The legendary Eddie Aikau surf competition went down at Waimea, Oahu, Hawaii last week in the biggest surf the comp has ever seen.  This comp has only gone down 9 times in its 31 year history. Waves have to have 20-30 foot faces, and be surfable for an 8 hour window.

The line up was full of legends including Kelly Slater, John John Florence, 66-year-old Clyde Aikou (Eddie’s brother), Ross Clarke-Jones, Mark Healy, Peter Mel, Shane Dorian, and many more.

John John Florence, 27, won the whole thing and was honored.

“Today means everything. It’s the biggest accomplishment of my life. I was just stoked to be a part of this event, growing up on the North Shore, watching The Eddies run — and there’s only been a few of them since I’ve been alive — how big the waves were today.” – John John told KHON2

Ferocious wipeouts and heroic rides were the norm yesterday and, of course, Kelly Slater pulled into a heaving barrel that blew minds…