HONOLULU One of the most prestigious and legendary surf events in the world is expected to take place on Sunday in Hawaii for the first time in seven years.

And this year, female surfers will compete alongside men for the first time in the 39-year history of the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational.

The event, also known as “The Eddie”, is a one-day competition held in Waimea Bay on Oahu’s North Shore only when the surf is consistently high enough during the winter Big Wave Surfing season from mid-December to mid-March. Wind, tide and swell direction must also be correct.

“Large enough” means 20 feet (6 meters) by Hawaiian standards. This is equivalent to approximately 40 feet (12 meters) as measured by methods used in the rest of the US. Until this year, conditions have converged only nine times since the first competition in 1984.

Organizer Clyde Aikau said at a press conference on Friday that he expects waves to reach 25-30 feet (7.6-9 meters) Hawaiian measurements or 50-60 feet (15-18 meters) national scale.

“Yes, Eddie will go on Sunday,” he said.

Elsewhere around the world, big wave surfing competitions are held: Mavericks in California, Nazare in Portugal and Peahi on the island of Maui in Hawaii. But author Stuart Coleman says “Eddie” is different in that it honors Eddie Aikau, a legendary native Hawaiian boatman, for his dedication, courage, and dedication.

“What makes this competition the most unique is that it is held in memory of a specific person who truly transcended his time and place when he lived,” said Coleman, who wrote Eddie Would Go, Aikau’s biography.

Edward Rion Makuahanai Aikau became known as the first lifeguard hired by Honolulu to work on Oahu’s north shore and was revered for rescuing over 500 people in his career. He is also known for surfing high waves that no one else would dare to ride.

Aikau died in 1978 at the age of 31 during an expedition in a traditional Polynesian canoe from Honolulu to Tahiti. Just a few hours from the port, a giant double-hulled canoe known as “Hokulea” hit the water and capsized in stormy weather. Aikau volunteered to swim a few miles to the nearby island of Lanai on his surfboard to help the rest of the crew, but was never seen again.

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued the remaining crew hours after a commercial aircraft found the canoe.

Coleman said Eddie is the best of big wave surfing and the best of Hawaiian culture.

“They always say at the opening ceremony when they get together to start the period, ‘This is not just a competition. We don’t surf against each other. We’re surfing like Eddie,” Coleman said.

This year, the organizers invited 40 athletes and 18 substitutes from around the world, including Kelly Slater, who has won a record 11 world surfing titles. John John Florence, who hails from the North Shore and has won two world titles in a row, was also asked to join.

Keala Kennelly of Kauai, a champion women’s big wave surfer, is among the invited women.

Mindy Pennybacker, surf columnist for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and author of the forthcoming book Surfing Sisterhood Hawaii: Wahine Reclaiming the Waves, said there has long been a perception that Waimea is too dangerous for women to surf there. .

She said they had to fight to get involved and in the meantime they showed they could handle big waves around the world.

“To see women — not just women surfing Waimea, but women and men participating in the same event together, with mutual respect and equality — I just love the idea,” Pennybacker said.

The competition is expected to draw tens of thousands of spectators to the two-lane highway that runs through the North Shore and small towns scattered along the coastal areas.

Kathleen Pahinui, chairman of the North Shore Neighborhood Council, said it would be good for businesses, restaurants and shops. She urged visitors to use carpools and take the bus because the roads would be congested.

“I wish all the participants good luck,” she said.