The World’s Most Prestigious Big Wave Event Is Back
The invitees for the 2025/26 Rip Curl Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational have now been announced, and this year’s lineup is looking absolutely stacked.
Find out everything you need to know about this year’s Eddie below.
What is The Eddie?
The Rip Curl Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, commonly known as ‘The Eddie’, is an iconic big wave event that honours the life and legacy of late Hawaiian waterman, Eddie Aikau. More than just a surf competition, The Eddie is a powerful celebration of culture and community.
Held at Waimea Bay, The Eddie only runs when the conditions are gigantic, needing a full day of consistent 25-foot+ surf (Hawaiian) to be given the green light.
When The Eddie ran on December 22, 2024, over 6 million viewers tuned in from more than 30 countries, underscoring the event’s unmatched status in the world of big-wave surfing.
How are the surfers chosen?
The Eddie Aikau Foundation (EAF) has complete control over the selection of the invitees. Historically, Eddie Aikau’s brother and former event winner, Clyde Aikau, has served as an advisor for the surfer selection process. Sadly, Clyde passed away in May of this year, soon after watching his son Ha'a Aikau surf in his first Eddie in December 2024.
With his passing, the EAF continues to carry on the tradition of hand-selecting the standout big wave surfers to compete in Eddie’s honour.
In their own words, “The Eddie Aikau Foundation analysed the results from the last two Eddies that ran in 2023 and 2024. We incorporated additional selection criteria from that data. We conducted a lot of research into the history and experiences of the big wave surfers under consideration. We have a mix of surfers from Hawaii, the mainland and international as well that we feel will represent the spirit and legacy of Eddie Aikau,” said Linda Ipsen, the President of the Eddie Aikau Foundation.
When does this year’s Eddie season start?
The Opening Ceremony for the 2025/26 Rip Curl Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational will take place at Waimea Bay on December 5, 2025. The waiting period will then be open from December 7, 2025 – March 6, 2026. Should a swell worthy of The Eddie arise during this period, competitors will be given mere days to make their way to the North Shore of Oahu and prepare to take on one of the world’s heaviest waves.
Keep up to date with the Opening Ceremony for the 2025/26 Rip Curl Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational via our Rip Curl Instagram account.
Who is invited this year?
2025-2026 INVITEES
Aaron Gold (HI-OAHU)
Annie Reickert (HI-MAUI)
Bianca Valenti (CALIFORNIA)
Billy Kemper (HI-MAUI)
Chad Keaulana (HI-OAHU)
Eala Stewart (HI-OAHU)
Eli Olson (HI-OAHU)
Emily Erickson (HI-OAHU)
Ezekiel Lau (HI-OAHU)
Grant “Twiggy” Baker (SOUTH AFRICA)
Ha'a Aikau (HI-OAHU)
Jake Maki (HI-OAHU)
Jamie Mitchell (AUS/HI)
Jamie O’Brien (HI-OAHU)
Joey Cadiz (HI-OAHU)
John John Florence (HI-OAHU) - 2016 Event Winner
Justine Dupont (FRANCE)
Kai Lenny (HI-MAUI)
Kelly Slater (FLORIDA) – 2004 Event Winner
Koa Rothman (HI-OAHU)
Landon McNamara (HI-OAHU) - 2024 Event Winner
Lucas “Chumbo” Chianca (BRAZIL)
Luke Shepardson (HI-OAHU) - 2023 Event Winner
Makua Rothman (HI-OAHU)
Mark Healey (HI-OAHU)
Mason Ho (HI-OAHU)
Matahi Drollet (TAHITI)
Nathan Florence (HI-OAHU)
Nic von Rupp (PORTUGAL)
Ross Clarke-Jones (AUSTRALIA) – 2001 Event Winner
Russell Bierke (AUSTRALIA)
Torrey Meister (HI-MAUI)
2025-2026 ALTERNATES
Kāne (Men)
1. Cliff Kapono (HI-HAWAII)
2. Mikey O’Shaughnessy (HI-OAHU)
3. Isamu Sumi (JAPAN)
4. Tom Lowe (ENGLAND)
5. Kaiwi Berry (HI-OAHU)
6. Ty Simpson-Kane (HI-MAUI)
7. Michael “Mitch” Sanborn (HI-OAHU)
8. Kala Grace (HI-OAHU)
9. Albee Layer (HI-MAUI)
10. Tiger Doerner (HI-OAHU)
11. Ian Walsh (HI-MAUI)
12. Othmane Choufani (MOROCCO)
13. Tyler Larronde (HI-MAUI)
14. Taio Shipman (HI-OAHU)
15. Jojo Roper (CALIFORNIA)
16. Koa Smith (HI-OAHU)
17. Francisco Porcella (ITALY/HI-MAUI)
18. Matt Bromley (SOUTH AFRICA)
19. Shinpei Horiguchi (HI/JAPAN)
20. Kona Oliveira (HI-OAHU)
21. Wilem Banks (CALIFORNIA)
22. Barron Mamiya (HI-OAHU)
Wahine (Women)
1. Anne Dos Santos (BRAZIL)
2. Paige Alms (HI-MAUI)
3. Laura Enever (AUSTRALIA)
4. Makani Adric (HI-OAHU)
5. Tiare Lawrence (HI-MAUI)
6. Zoe Chait (CALIFORNIA)
The History of Eddie Aikau
Born in Kahului, Maui, in 1946, by the time Aikau was a teenager he was working at the Dole cannery on Oahu and quickly asserting himself amongst the North Shore’s iconic lineups. In 1969, he was hired by the City & County of Honolulu as the first lifeguard on the North Shore. No motorized watercraft were used for rescues, only a surfboard and fins. Hundreds of people were rescued while Eddie was a lifeguard and no lives were lost.
The Aikau Family lineage is traced from the 1800’s to the Hawaiian Priest, Kahunanui Hewahewa, who was the manager & caretaker of the entire Waimea Valley and its beautiful beach and surf.
“Before Eddie Aikau was the king of Waimea, he was the king of Sunset,” describes Rip Curl’s Mason Ho, whose father Michael Ho grew up in the water alongside Aikau.
A lifelong advocate for Hawaii’s culture and people, on March 16,1978, Aikau set out on the Hōkūle‘a, a 60ft traditional Hawaiian voyaging canoe, with a crew of fellow Hawaiian sailors. The vessel set sail from Oahu on a 30-day, 2,500-mile voyage that was intended to travel to Tahiti and illustrate how Polynesians were able to traverse the wide, expansive openness of the Pacific Ocean.
As the Hōkūle‘a passed by the island of Molokaʻi, one of the hulls began to leak and the boat capsized. Aikau famously set off on his surfboard to paddle for help. The crew was eventually rescued, but tragically, Aikau was never seen again. Among his triumphs in the surf, it’s this selflessness and dedication to his crew Hawaiian members that has made Aikau’s legacy the stuff of legend.
