Eddie Aikau

Eddie Aikau (http://s1.hubimg.com/u/261348_f260.jpg)

“Whoa bro! That wave is huge! Let’s surf it!”

“Naw dude, no thanks”

“Eddie would go!”

“Fine, let’s go have us some fun then!”

‘Eddie Would Go!’ is a quote that people in Hawaii use to show fearlessness, courage, and bravery. Most people wonder, who is this Eddie guy? Eddie Aikau was born on May 4th, 1946 on the island of Maui, Hawaii. Later in his life, he and his family moved to Oahu. Aikau is known by some for being a great big wave surfer with a life that was cut short due to his heroic actions. A hero should be strong-willed, fearless, caring, and willing. Eddie Aikau always met those expectations and will always be seen as a hero. He is not only a hero in Hawaii, but he is a hero for many other people too.

Eddie Aikau (http://shop.eddieaikaufoundation.org/images/1186384631141-158193858.jpeg)

To be a hero means being decisive, fearless, respectful, and willing. One person that always met these expectations was Eddie Aikau. The highest waves for most people are about 8 feet, for some it could be 10 feet, and for the least amount of people it is actually 20 feet. For Eddie a wave that he wouldn’t ever fear would be about 25-30 feet. He was so fearless at a young age that he was not even scared to surf the highest waves in the world at the time. For most people there was only one surfer that was greater and more experienced than him: “There are larger purses in professional surfing, but none carry the prestige of “the Eddie” - in fact, no surfer in history short of Duke Kahanamoku garners as much respect as Eddie Aikau” (Tomlin). He was courageous in a way that made him close to the best surfer in the world. He would do whatever it took to be the best and never gave up. His fearlessness had to do with the famous quote, “Eddie Would Go!” He would do anything, even if it put his life in danger. The point, though, is not that every big wave surfer is a hero. With Eddie it is about the bigger picture: “At its simplest, it’s (“Eddie Would Go”) encouragement for surfers is to face the challenge of big waves. But it came to mean more- to be brave, to take chances in life, to make sacrifices” (“Catching the Eddie Aikau contest requires timing and Luck”). Being brave is one thing that Eddie always had to have when it came to being a surfer or a lifeguard; he always stepped onto the sand of beaches with bravery in his heart. Taking chances in life was what made him famous in the first place. His great need to live life to the fullest inspired people around him to be just like him. His boldness and fearless spirit is what makes him a hero. This is what every person should strive to have in life.

Eddie Would Go (http://media.photobucket.com/image/%252522eddie%20would%20go%252522/eddiesjrsygrl/EddieWouldGo-1.jpg)

When someone is willing to risk their life for the life of other people, that person is a hero. As a lifeguard, Eddie saved everyone who needed it. With the dangerous waves of his day, his job as a lifeguard was challenging: “As a surfer, he rode the biggest waves in the world; as a lifeguard, he saved hundreds of lives from the North Shore's treacherous waters.” (Coleman). As a lifeguard at the time on duty at the North Shore, there are many horrible things that can happen, but nothing bad ever happened when Eddie was on duty. It sounds like an easy job, but when someone saves that many lives, they should be considered a hero. As an honor in Hawaii, there was a journey from the Hawaiian Islands to Tahiti by canoe. Eddie Aikau was one of the honored people to go on The Hokule’a: “As a proud Hawaiian, he sacrificed his life to save his fellow sailors aboard the voyaging canoe, Hokule’a” (Coleman). During this particular journey on the Hokule’a, things didn’t go well on the canoe and so Eddie tried to surf out in the unsafe waters towards the island of Lanai. Later everybody on the Hokule’a was found and saved but Eddie was never found. The biggest search party was sent out to find him but he was never found, nor was his surfboard. Unfortunately Eddie’s life was cut short at a young age. He risked his life to save others and in the end, became an instantaneous legend.

Fearless, brave, caring, and willing: all the traits that Eddie Aikau had. He is inspiring in so many ways. He is remembered as only a great man and he not only has courage and bravery but nobody ever looked down on him. He was a strong person that was willing to risk his life for others which is something that most people can only dream of doing. A hero could be the surfer on that big break or just the random person that saved a life. Heroes are everywhere in the world, even in the place that people least expect it.

In Memory of Eddie Aikau (http://www.claudiaferrari.com/eddie120302.jpg)

Works Consulted:

Baker, Bernie. "The Quiksilver in memory of Eddie Aikau. (Finals).(surfing)(Brief Article)." Surfer. 43. 5 (April 2002): 124(2). Student Resource Center - Gold. Gale. DEL NORTE HIGH SCHOOL. 5 May 2010.

"Catching the Eddie Aikau surf contest requires timing _ and luck." The Orange County Register (Santa Ana, Calif.) (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service). (March 7, 2005): NA. Student Resource Center - Gold. Gale. DEL NORTE HIGH SCHOOL. 7 May 2010. Coleman, Stuart. "Eddie Would Go." Stuart Coleman, n.d. Web. 14 May 2010. .

"Eddie Aikau Foundation." Eddie Aikau Foundation, 2006. Web. 14 May 2010. .

Jenkins, Bruce. "DESTINATION HAWAII; Why they say, 'Eddie would go'.(TRAVEL)." San Francisco Chronicle. (August 28, 2005): E8. Student Resource Center - Gold. Gale. DEL NORTE HIGH SCHOOL. 7 May 2010.

Tomalin, Terry. "Surfing hero." The St. Petersburg Times (St. Petersburg, FL). (Jan 26, 2003): 5D. Student Resource Center - Gold. Gale. DEL NORTE HIGH SCHOOL. 5 May 2010.