2016 Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Champion
2/26/16 – Huntington Beach, Ca: After more than 6 years in dormancy, despite a few attempts to “Go”, the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau roared to life at the original big wave terror dome of Waimea Bay yesterday. The Winter of 2015/16 will go down as one of the largest on record and the Eddie swell was the final straw in cementing this run of giant winter storms in history. Surfing in his first “Eddie”, John John Florence had already fulfilled the dream that every big wave surfer around the world has. But, as the day progressed it became clear that today was much more than just surfing the Eddie, there was winning the Eddie. Congratulations John, we’re honored and proud, and beyond ecstatic for you to have achieve another mighty goal.
“I was excited just to be part of the event,” said John John in his post heat interview. “I was so nervous, I thought, oh gosh, I just gotta get through this day and hopefully get a couple of waves. I was riding my bike down here this-morning in the dark and just the energy of how many people were parked all the way down the street. I’ve lived here my whole life and I’ve never seen it like that.”
With an invite only field of International big wave superstars on hand to compete for only the seventh time in the Eddie’s 31-year history, the day is about honoring the legacy of Hawaiian Lifeguard Eddie Aikau and his passion for big waves, the ocean and ‘ohana. The waves must measure a minimum of 20’ Hawaiian, with 40’+ faces, and sustain that energy for the entire duration of the 8 hour event. The 2016 edition was every bit of that, and is being called by many the biggest and best Eddie yet.
At the end of round one John John was sitting atop the leader board with 170 points on 3 waves. The Eddie uses a unique competition format where all competitors surf two heats and are allowed to ride four waves in each heat, with the top four wave scores counting as your total score. By the time John John’s second heat hit the water, he’d fallen back a bit on the leader board following standout performances by heavy hitters Shane Dorian and Ross Clarke Jones, and was looking for a higher scoring heat than his Round 1 performance. Within the first 5 minutes of the heat he dropped a near perfect (100 points) 89 point ride, and was now in striking distance. Forty more minutes wound down and finally the opportunity came. Sitting deep on the boil, John John stroked his lime green 10’6” Pyzel Padilllac Quad into a 20’+ set, knifing the drop only to be completely engulfed in the exploding white water before emerging out of the chaos standing tall and in control. Needing only a 69 point ride to take the lead the judges awarded him an 88, for a total of 301 points for the day and the victory.
“I’ve never been a part of an event like this. It’s definitely the highlight of my life for sure,” offered John John. “I want to say thanks to the Aikau family and Quiksilver for putting on this amazing event. I’ve only seen it run a couple of times in my life so to be a part of it, to be surfing in it, and to actually win it is such a dream come true…against all these legends. These guys are my heroes since I’ve been growing up. And thanks to my mom and my family and all my good friends who are here.”
John John was riding a custom set of the Futures Paddle Quad designed specifically for riding the biggest waves on the planet, featuring engineered foils and hand finished precision, in Futures’ Huntington Beach, Ca facility.
Photo: Ryan Miller
