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Caption: John John Florence claims Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau  
Image: WSL

“I was excited just to be part of the event,” said Florence. “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. Walking down the beach, like Uncle Clyde was saying, people just screaming, and the energy was so crazy. I’ve never been a part of an event like this. It’s definitely the highlight of my life for sure.

“Biggest of all, 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.”

Florence, 23, edged out previous event winner Ross Clarke-Jones (AUS) with a late charge in his second round heat, posting his top two rides of the day during a flurry of gigantic waves. Better known for his year-round pursuits on the WSL Championship Tour, Florence is fast forging himself a place at the head of the big wave riding movement that is regarded a discipline all its own.

Third place today was Shane Dorian (HAW); fourth went to Jamie Mitchell (AUS); fifth was Kelly Slater (USA); and sixth was Makuakai Rothman (HAW).

A capacity crowd of 25,000 lined the headland-to-headland arena of Waimea Bay, witnessing eight hours of uninterrupted, mind-blowing entertainment. They roared and gasped as the 28-man field offered up fearless rides and more than a few horrific wipeouts from sun up to sun down.

Today’s conditions were the most epic ever for an “Eddie” and will surely go down as the greatest one-day Big Wave event in history. The emotions and energy were on overload with what surfers were calling “Brock’s Swell,” in honor of long-time Eddie invitee and Hawaii Big Wave rider Brock Little, who lost his battle with cancer just last week.

Those who rode today were nothing short of gladiators, armed with surfboards of up to 11-feet in length that were still dwarfed by the ocean’s tonnage. They pitted world-class skills along with their lives against the adrenaline-inducing display of Mother Nature.

The undeniable crowd favorite, drawing a standing ovation wave as he walked from Waimea Bay Beach Park to the shoreline, was 66-year-old Clyde Aikau - Eddie Aikau’s younger brother, who has contested all nine Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational events through 31 years, declaring this to be his last.

In all, 141 dramatic rides were logged today, including gutsy charges by Eddie Aikau rookies Koa Rothman (HAW) and Mason Ho (HAW); last minute Alternate starters Danilo Couto (BRZ) and Ben Wilkinson (AUS); and emotionally charged, seasoned rides by Slater and Dorian, in memory of close friend Brock Little.

The world famous Hawaiian Water Patrol were the bedrock of today’s event, without whose support the organizers would never have been able to call the day “on.” Their safety support and assistance in harrowing moments will see every surfer return home safe tonight.

At times it was as if there were two spectacular events going on at the same time as surfers dropped down feathering walls, and a fleet of rescue jet-skis gunned to outrun avalanches of water as they bolted towards beach or horizon.

Along with the Water Patrol support was the added layer of confidence athletes had with the Quiksilver x Aqua Lung Inflatable Vest - a technology that didn’t exist when The Eddie was last held in December of 2009. Only three of the 28 athletes today competed without a vest.

“It was actually nice to have it, to have the option,” said Ross Clarke-Jones. “Because if I don’t wear it, then I’m going to get hammered. I chose to wear it and I didn’t need it till the last wave. It was the last wave and I thought I’ll pull it anyway because I got pounded and it just came out like a breeze. It’s an incredible piece of equipment.”

Each surfer contested two rounds of 1-hour, 7-man heats, with their top four scoring rides at the end of the day producing their final event score. Each ride was scored out of a total of 100 points, with size of wave, critical nature of the take-off, and successful completion of a ride all factors.

Oahu’s Aaron Gold was awarded today with the The Quiksilver GO Challenge for a massive wave ridden at Pe’ahi a month ago that has been estimated at more than 70 feet. The special award was offered up to all Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Invitees and Alternates for the biggest, most critical wave ridden in the Hawaiian Islands during the holding period of this event up to today. Gold won $10,000 for his efforts.

The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau is the original one-day, Big Wave surfing event, started in memory of Hawaiian waterman, Waimea Bay lifeguard and Big Wave pioneer Eddie Aikau. What started 31 years ago to pay tribute to Aikau, has grown to become an almost mythic event whose elusiveness has only fueled its global appeal. The Eddie only runs when wave face heights reach a minimum of 40 feet at Waimea Bay… a day so rare it has only happened nine times in 31 years. Today was one of those days.

Highlights from the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau are available at WorldSurfLeague.com

The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Final Results:
1 - John John Florence (HAW) 301
2 - Ross Clarke-Jones (AUS) 278
3 - Jamie Mitchell (AUS) 249
4 - Kelly Slater (USA) 238
5 - Dave Wassel (HAW) 230

Round 1/Heat 1 Results:
Ross Clarke-Jones (AUS) 166, Jamie Mitchell (AUS) 83, Shane Dorian (HAW) 80, Kohl Christensen (HAW) 71, Sunny Garcia (HAW) 47, Greg Long (USA) 38, Ramon Navarro (CHL) 5

Round 1/Heat 2 Results:
Kelly Slater (USA) 97, Aaron Gold (HAW) 85, Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 70, David Wassel (HAW) 65, Reef McIntosh (HAW) 46, Tom Carroll (AUS) 29, Grant Baker (ZAF) 23

Round 1/Heat 3 Results:
John John Florence (HAW) 170, Takayuki Wakita (HAW) 104, Mark Healey (HAW) 101, Clyde Aikau (HAW) 65, Nathan Fletcher (USA) 39, Peter Mel (USA) 9, Noah Johnson (HAW) 0

Round 1/Heat 4 Results:
Koa Rothman (HAW) 110, Makuakai Rothman (HAW) 103, Bruce Irons (HAW) 44, Danilo Couto (BRZ) 69, Mason Ho (HAW) 63, Ian Walsh (HAW) 10, Kala Alexander (HAW) 0

Round 2/Heat 1 Results:
Shane Dorian (HAW) 207, Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 141, Reef McIntosh (HAW) 81, Aaron Gold (HAW) 76, Tom Carroll (AUS) 48, Kohl Christensen (HAW) 43, Greg Long (USA) 33

Round 2/Heat 2 Results:
David Wassel (HAW) 230, Kelly Slater (USA) 201, Ross Clarke-Jones (AUS) 178, Jamie Mitchell (AUS) 172, Ramon Navarro (CHL) 95, Grant Baker (ZAF) 68, Sunny Garcia (HAW) 40

Round 2/Heat 3 Results:
John John Florence (HAW) 206, Mason Ho (HAW) 144, Kala Alexander (HAW) 86, Mark Healey (HAW) 32, Danilo Couto (BRZ) 30, Clyde Aikau (HAW) 26, Koa Rothman (HAW) 7

Round 2/Heat 4 Results:
Ian Walsh (HAW) 115, Makuakai Rothman (HAW) 91, Peter Mel (USA) 77, Bruce Irons (HAW) 57, Nathan Fletcher (USA) 54, Takayuki Wakita (HAW) 37, Ben Wilkinson (AUS) 37

Top 4 Waves (Both Rounds):
John John Florence (HAW) 301
Ross Clarke-Jones (AUS) 278
Shane Dorian (HAW) 270
Jamie Mitchell (AUS) 249
Kelly Slater (USA) 238
Makuakai Rothman (HAW) 231
David Wassel (HAW) 230
Mason Ho (HAW) 191
Jamie O’Brien (HAW) 180
Aaron Gold (HAW) 139
Mark Healey (HAW) 133
Takayuki Wakita (HAW) 123
Koa Rothman (HAW) 117
Ian Walsh (HAW) 115
Reef McIntosh (HAW) 112
Grant Baker (ZAF) 109
Kohl Christensen (HAW) 109
Bruce Irons (HAW) 101
Ramon Navarro (CHL) 100
Danilo Couto (BRZ) 93
Clyde Aikau (HAW) 91
Nathan Fletcher (USA) 88
Sunny Garcia (HAW) 87
Peter Mel (USA) 86
Kala Alexander (HAW) 86
Greg Long (USA) 71
Tom Carroll (AUS) 67
Noah Johnson (USA)/Ben Wilkinson (AUS) 37

 
Caption: Mick Fanning (AUS), 3X WSL Champion, has called 2016 a 'personal year' in which he will surf in select events. He will, however, return to the J-Bay Open at South Africa's Jeffreys Bay, the scene of his 2015 shark attack.
Image: WSL / Cestari

The Australian sporting icon endured an intense 2015 in which he was thrust into the international spotlight following an on-air battle with a Great White Shark during July’s J-Bay Open. Despite the incident, Fanning rallied to battle for the WSL Title throughout the back half of the season, pushing the race to the final event of the year. Suffering the tragic and unexpected loss of older brother Peter during the event window, Fanning’s performance at Pipeline was emotionally charged, but ultimately short of the world surfing crown.

“Last year was definitely intense - what happened at J-Bay, being in a title race and the unfortunate passing of my brother,” Fanning said. “There was so much build up with everything happening. I got to a point at the end of the year where I felt empty. I didn’t feel like I had much to give back.”

“This year, I’m going to take some time off and have a bit of a personal year,” Fanning continued. “Just to regroup and re-stoke the fire. At this stage, I’m going to compete at Snapper and I’m going to compete at Bells and then I’m going to take some time off from there. They (Snapper and Bells) are two events that I love and I’d go crazy if I were sitting at home and couldn’t go surf Snapper. Bells is like a second home as well. From then on, I feel like I have to take some time away from the tour to get out of that sort of zone to see where my head is at.”

The decision to surf in select events in 2016 came after lengthy discussion with family, friends, sponsors and the WSL.

“When I first came to this decision, I rang up Kieren (Perrow) and Paul Speaker and gave them an idea of what I was thinking and seeing if it was okay with them,” Fanning said. “Between those two and the whole WSL being supportive, it’s been really incredible. Even last year, with all the things happening, they were the first people that would reach out to support and make sure everything was okay. I’m really thankful that they’re giving me this opportunity to be selective with events and see where I’m at.”

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a lot of accomplished people across a variety of mediums and Mick Fanning is certainly one of the most inspiring,” Paul Speaker, WSL CEO, said. “His class and character, even in the face of multiple scenarios that would undo most people, are tremendous. He is a truly special person and we’re here to support him in whatever way we can.”

The shark incident at Jeffreys Bay in July became a top international news story, vaulting Fanning into a level of public recognition never before seen in the sport. While his 2016 season remains in flux, Fanning has indicated plans to return to Jeffreys Bay this year.

“I want to go back to J-Bay,” Fanning said. “I feel like there’s something there that I want to go and face. I want to make sure that I scratch that off the list. I think the main thing will be that first surf. I probably won’t be getting up at dark and getting out there before the sun gets up anymore. I think it’s more about jumping in and surfing once or twice and then I’ll be fine. It’s the same thing as when I came back and surfed Snapper for the first time. You’re a little bit wary and it’s in the back of your mind, but you get to a point where you start to feel comfortable again. If I go and do that event, there are going to be a lot of eyes on me. A lot of people will be seeing what reaction I’ll have. I don’t think I’ll be paddling out early for heats, but I think after a surf or two, I’ll feel fine.”

A 15-year veteran of the elite WSL Championship Tour, Fanning has amassed an impressive 21 event wins and three world titles.

“Mick Fanning is one of the most committed and inspiring figures our sport has been fortunate enough to have,” Kieren Perrow, WSL Commissioner, said. “He’s been up front and open about his feelings following the 2015 season and the Commissioner’s Office wholeheartedly supports him taking time for himself this year. We look forward to seeing him at the opening event on the Gold Coast and at select events throughout the year.”

The 2016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour will commence with the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast from March 10 - 21, 2016. 

For more information, log onto WorldSurfLeague.com