Eddie Aikau from Wikipedia:
Edward Ryan Makua Hanai Aikau (Kahului, Hawaii, May 4, 1946 – March 17, 1978) was a well-known Hawaiian lifeguard and surfer. The words Makua Hanai in Eddie Aikau's full name mean feeding parent,[1] an adoptive, nurturing, fostering parent,[2][3] in the Hawaiian language. As the first lifeguard at Waimea Bay on the island of Oahu, he saved many lives and became famous for surfing the big Hawaiian surf, winning several awards including the 1977 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship.
Oahu news services are reporting that a massive swell is pounding the North this week. The swell is being called the swell of the decade which puts the worlds top big wave surfers on alert for the running of the Quicksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau Invitational Surfing tournament at Waimea Bay. This would be only the seventh running of the contest in 25 years, as they only run it during optimal conditions within the waiting period.
links:
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/...
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
http://live.quiksilver.com/... .
The contest is only held if waves of 20'+ wave face value which means waves bigger than a three story house. The worry is that this particular swell is being measured at 30-40 feet link:
http://www.surfline.com/...
great video of Waimea from The Aloha Show
March 13th 2007: