Watch: The Eddie // The Big Ones
Already on the site is a wipeouts reel from the Eddie, so here we have all the good makes.
It starts with Landon Macnamara and ends with a three-pack of Chumbo. In between you'll have to figure it out for yourself, though some waves you'll recognise as they're already on their way to iconic status.
Shame it's all filmed from one angle. When the complete coverage comes it'll mix drone, land, and sea.
Comments
yawn. why does everyone froth over this? its just a drop and a fat shoulder. smaller than the average day at mavs. ride one into the shorey and you'll get my attention.
I'm with you - drop into a giant close-out and hang on in a wall of white water... I preferred watching Steph on a twinnie.
The commitment and skill is undeniable however I also don't find it that enthralling after watching a few waves.
I can imagine a lot of Australian slab hunters wouldn't even look twice at a wave like that.
Legendary
There was an angle from maybe the headland in the live coverage?
Got great footage of Luke taking off on a huge one from inside and you could see the iconic wall of waimeabay rearing up. Really highlighted the adrenaline pumping epicness of taking off there.
I've only watched the highlights. While a lot of the rides were mainly just huge take offs that straightened out behind a close out of whitewater, there were quite a few that walled up for a longer ride. Still absolutely amazing though. The Eddie is more a waterman contest than a surf contest though. Actually riding the wave would be about 10% of the skill set you'd need to even think about paddling out that day. Looking at the wide shots of the whole bay, just paddling out through the shore break, negotiating the huge amount of water moving around, setting your line ups to maintain position, being aware of the 40 odd other people in the water... You'd only get those sort of skills from years of surfing big swells. It's no wonder a North shore life guard won it. He'd be honing those skills every day. Hats off to them all. True water men / women.
What I found most amazing was that even in the era of the so-called 100ft wave - there were a lot of waves at Waimea that simply were not attempted to be paddled into.
That contest was all about fun…and those guys and girls were having plenty of it…It was pure and old school and great to watch..I loved it and it made my day.
Great contest.
Some waves just don't want to be paddled into FR. Even some six footers.
I not sure that any one could have paddled into some of the bombs in the contest let alone a 100ft wave.
Maybe if you were an 8ft tall,120kg superhuman on a 15ft board you could take on a mystical 100ft beast.
Beautiful swell - big and clean.
That shorebreak - 10ft whitewater !!.....I've swam there on a flat day, the drop off is huge and very sudden. Place has quite a mysto vibe to it - or it did in 96 anyway. Bravo.
Long question short -Why are drop ins allowed/condoned at Waimea?
Generally at Waimea, room to move and you’re not interfering with a big turn section/barrel for the most part.
And when you have to fully commit to a wave that size the awareness of the person inside you reduces and sometimes you think they’re not in a position to make it into the wave but you still have to fully commit.
Epic. I'm frothing
Couple of things about Waimea that are maybe not obvious from the footage:
As you paddle for the swell it doesn’t stand up as much as the bottom drops out of it,
The rocks on the point seem a lot closer and more of a factor when you go for a wave ( the sweep takes care of that problem, it’s just that it looks close)
And as said above it’s really not much of a wave, but there is a bit in getting back onto the sand when your done.
1:27 kaboom!