Getty Image / BRIAN BIELMANN/AFP
The 11th running of ‘The Eddie‘ which is short the ‘Rip Curl Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational’ was held on Sunday after conditions were right and the best big wave surfers in the world flocked to Oahu’s North Shore. This even has only been held 11 times over the past 40 years as it requires a swell to produce large enough waves for the event to take place.
The final of the 11th running of The Eddie came down to two Hawaiian locals, Landon McNamara versus Mason Ho, with their combined 3-wave scores going head to head. McNamara, who is also a popular musician, also pulled off a perfect 50-point wave in the 2nd round of The Eddie which helped him inch closer to the $50,000 1st Place prize.
We have a LOT of clips below for you all to check out. But first up is the perfect 50-point wave from Landon McNamara who is the nephew of Garrett McNamara, one of the most famous big wave surfers of all-time.
Luke Shephardson won the last running of The Eddie which was held just last year. It’s actually wild that the event has only been held 11 times in 40 years but we got it in back-to-back years. Here’s Luke Shephardson with an absolute beast of a wave in Heat 1:
@ripcurl Luke Shepardson on a bomb clinches heat 1 at the Rip Curl The Eddie Big Wave Invitational In Memory Of Eddie Aikau Watch LIVE at ripcurl.com via the link our bio. #eddiewouldgo #lukeshepardson Live #TheSearch
Big Wave surfer Kai Lenny, one of the most famous surfers on earth, put together this sizzle reel of the action at The Eddie this year including the ceremonial paddle out before the event is held.
@kai_lenny The Bay Calls the Day 🙏🏄 #bigwavesurfing
For the diehard Big Wave Surfing fans out there feeling ambitious, there is a full replay of the action on YouTube. All 9 hours and 43 minutes of footage across the heats:
I mentioned above that Landon is a musician, here’s one of his most-streamed songs on YouTube for those who haven’t heard him before:
In the end, Landon McNamara bested Mason Ho with a 3-wave combined score of 135.8 to Ho’s 120.9. Billy Kemper finished in 3rd, Jamie O’Brien finished in 4th, followed by Nic Lamb, Luke Shephardson, Nathan Florence, Kai Lenny, and Koa Rothman.