Eddie Aikau

Eddie Aikau was a lifeguard at Waimea Bay for 9 years and saved over 500 people without losing one life in the 20 foot waves. Eddie was a Hawaiian who was born on May 4th 1946 in Hawaii. For a majority of his life, Eddie and his family of eight, including his five other siblings, lived in and maintained the Japanese graveyard, where they survived on barely any food. Eddie spent most of his time surfing waves with his brother Clyde, who he would later compete with in major surfing competitions such as the Duke Invitational. He eventually quit school to work at a pineapple factory at night and surf all day. Eddie was then chosen to be the first lifeguard of Waimea bay which lead to Eddie's name becoming very important in the islands surf scene. Later in his life Eddie was invited to be part of the voyaging team on the Hokule'a. The Hokule'a is a traditional Tahitian ship that today's Hawaiians travel to the Tahitian islands using only the stars. The Hokule'a ended up getting caught in the storm and flipped, Eddie decided to try to help the other Voyagers by swimming back to shore and was lost at sea with just a surfboard. Eddie was never found and now his spirit lives on in his community. Eddie Aikau is a hero because he was brave, selfless and dedicated to his beliefs.

Eddie Aikau was a heroic figure because he was a brave individual when standing up for his beliefs, protecting friends and family and when he was in the ocean. Eddie's brother Clyde is quoted as saying, "I believe Eddie Would Go if nobody else would go. Eddie Would Go where people wouldn't go. Eddie Would Go and help people in the water when he didn't even know them."(Quiksilver). This shows that Eddie is a hero because his peers saw his actions and efforts as selfless and brave. Eddie went out of his way to help people who he didn't know or people who he disliked in many situations. Eddie's community saw him as someone who was brave because of his fearlessness in the ocean while he was a lifeguard, surfer, and voyager on the Hokule'a. This is shown when Eddie attempted to save his peers on the Hokule'a. The Quiksilver article written about Eddie states, "Hokule'a capsized in heavy seas just outside of the Hawaiian Islands and Eddie paddled off on his surfboard in an attempt to reach the islands and secure the rescue of his crew members. In the end, all but Eddie were recovered."(Quiksilver). This shows that Aikau was heroic because he was brave enough to try to swim back to the island on his surfboard to save all of his companions on the Hokule'a and was soon to lose his life trying to save them. Eddies braveness although didn't save the voyagers on the Hokule'a, it left a huge imprint on the Hawaiian community. His braveness throughout his life influenced the people in his community to be brave for the people around them, and to have the strength to hold onto their tradition.

Aikau also showed his heroism with his selfless acts. Eddies community saw his as the protector of the people, tradition and Hawaiian spirit. Wayne "Rabbit" Bartholomew was an Australian surfer who attempted to take over the Hawaiian surf scene, and soon developed a bad attitude. This eventually got to the Hawaiians on Oahu, and they locals beat up Wayne and some of the other Australians. The locals later threatened threatened their lives. Eddie found out about this and decided to try to help the Australians. Bartholomew is quoted as saying, "Him putting his neck on the line to kinda clam these things, you know had it been some other random surfer guy I don't think the would have listened"(Hawaiian- The Legend of Eddie Aikau). This shows that Eddie was selfless because he risked his respect and trust with his community trying to help someone who wasn't part of his community. Eddie was a hero to the Australians because if it wasn't for him, them may have been killed, or majorly hurt and their surfing careers in Hawaii would have been over. Eddie also showed his heroism other selfless acts including spending a lot of his time trying to keep the Hawaiian spirit alive for the people living and visiting the Hawaiian islands. Ken Bradshaw is quoted as saying, "He wanted people to enjoy and love Hawaii, and that was a unique thing about him." (Hawaiian- The Legend of Eddie Aikau). This shows that Eddie is selfless because his peers could see that he had pure intentions and worked hard for what he wanted. This also shows his heroism because it displays the type of impact he left on the people around him. Also, how he was an example for other Hawaiians in the same situations as him. Eddies selflessness was a major part of his heroism because it showed how his intentions were true to his actions and that he wasn't helping people for fame.

Another trait that showed Eddies heroism was his dedicated acts towards his job, his status and keeping the Hawaiian spirit alive. Eddie showed his dedication when he was attempting to save the other voyagers on the Hokule'a. Nainoa Thompson, the director of the Polynesian Voyaging Society is quoted as saying, "When he started to swim off I paddled out to him, it was a time with just me and him. I don't remember my exact words but i said to him ' are you doing the right thing, Eddie are you doing the right things' He wasn't listening to me, because it wasn't a relevant question . He was as focused a human being would be." (Hawaiian- The Legend of Eddie Aikau). This shows that Eddie was dedicated because when he was put in a tough situation and the people around him aren't supportive, Eddie was dedicated to saving his companions and friends. Eddie again shows that he is the protector of his community, and the fact that he is dedicated to protecting his friends and family. Eddie also showed his dedication in the water when he was surfing and saving the lives of visitors, swimmers, and surfers at Waimea Bay. In an article written by Michael Woodsmall, he states, "During a nine-year tenure as protector of the hallowed coastline, he attempted over 500 rescues. Not one attempt failed."(Woodsmall). Eddie was saving locals, tourists, drunken sailors and even people who had been surfing the waters for years. This shows that Eddie was dedicated to saving people because throughout his nine years being a lifeguard at Waimea Bay he never lost one life. In the end, Eddie was a heroic character for his traits including his dedicated attitude.

Eddie left a huge impact on the Hawaiian community because he embodied what a true Hawaiian is. He protected the Hawaiian spirit, tradition and tried his hardest to have a connection with the water like his ancestors. In the end, Eddie is a hero because of his bravery when helping others, his selfless actions, and his dedication to his commitments.

Works Cited

"Eddie Aikau Foundation." Eddie Aikau Foundation. Eddie Aikau Foundation, 2006. Web.

01 May 2016. <http://www.eddieaikaufoundation.org/eddie.htm>

Hawaiian- The Legend Of Eddie Aikau. Dir. Sam George. Peralta Productions, 2013. Netflix.

"The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau 2015-2016 - Who Is Eddie?  | Quiksilver." The    

Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau 2015-2016 - Who Is Eddie?  | Quiksilver.

Quiksilver, 2015. Web. 29 Apr. 2016.

<http://quiksilver.com/surf/events/eddie-aikau/history.html>.

Woodsmall, Michael. "The Death of Eddie Aikau (Eddie Would Go)." The Inertia The

Death of Eddie Aikau Eddie Would Go Comments. N.p., 12 May 2014. Web. 02 May

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