Big wave surfing

apart of the surfing community, this saying speaks to a man who exuded bravery, courage, selflessness and sacrifice. It is a call to action, to push yourself out of your comfort zone and to do the right thing no matter what. Most importantly, these three words are a way of honoring the late and great Eddie Aikau. To understand the legend of Eddie Aikau, one must first understand the Hawaii that Eddie was born into. Born on May 4th, 1946 as Edward Ryon Makuahani Aikau in Kahului, Maui, he was the middle child of the six Aikau kids. The Aikaus were prominent among the Native Hawaiian community. They were a direct descendent…

Chris Burkard, Outdoor and sports photographer: Chris Burkard became known for his epic surfing photo’s at age 19, where he worked in his hometown of California. Living in his car he would photograph surfers during the day and try and make a sale on the beach to the athletes that same afternoon. Chris is 31 years of age and a creative entrepreneur, he worked as an intern during 2006 for surfing magazines and he got educated on the workings of editorial publication. The outdoors was…

sport of riding a wave toward the shore standing or lying on a surfboard. Surfing is one of the oldest sports on the planet. It is known that during the 15th century, kings, queens and people of the Hawaiian islands were big into the sport of wave-sliding. The first surfers were fishermen who discovered riding waves as an efficient method of getting to shore with their catch. Surfing is also one of the few sports that has its own culture and lifestyle. That's what makes it so special! Surfing…

choices when it comes to surfing spots. The city’s beautiful coves and beaches are accompanied by excellent surfing sites. Here is a list of top areas that offer challenging and enjoying San Diego surfing experience. Oceanside: Those looking for a quaint and laidback setting should check out the surfing spots in Oceanside. The area has miles of excellent harbor side with surfing spots. Because the steepest southern parts of the coast have good waves, many excellent and advanced surfers often…

Eddie would go. This is a statement known around the surfing world and encompasses big wave surfing. Eddie Aikau developed a reputation of being one of the best big wave surfers in the world. Sadly, Eddie lost his life in 1978 when a canoe he was traveling in capsized and he paddled off into the open ocean for help. He was never seen again but his memory lives on through one of the biggest surfing competitions in the world now known as The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau. Eddie Aikau will…

To the untrained eye, all surfboards may appear to be the same, however there are many variations among modern boards and even more variations between today’s boards and the boards used throughout history by the pioneers of surfing. From the first ever hand-carved ancient Hawaiian surfboards to today’s fiberglass coated foam-core boards, surfboards have advanced greatly throughout history in order to allow surfers to catch the biggest and best waves. In order to delve into the history of…

far away (Hawaii), as humans were just beginning to learn how to swim, surfing was invented. Surfing is a sport that has been ingrained in human culture for thousands of years. Surfing gave islanders and people who lived in coastal regions, something to do during the hot days of summer instead of sitting on the sand watching the waves crash in front of them. Yet, when the temperatures fell or the waves went flat, these ancient surfers could not surf. This was a major bummer. Alas, all was not…

Association for Surfing Professionals founded in 1976 by Hawaii residents Fred Hemmings and Randy Rarick. My participation in the professional surf meets was through Eddie Rothman and the Hui-O-He’e Nalu surf club. The ASP would culminate and end its world tour in Hawaii on the North Shore of Oahu. During the fall and winter months, the surf would consistently be contest worthy. This would create an arena where the best of the best can compete. I remember in the winter of 1976, a huge storm…

Surfboard design has always been a very personal thing. Shapers tend to be surfers themselves, and board design is as much an engineering feat as it is a love for surfing. Professional surfers work closely with shapers, as each surfer rides waves differently, and they know better than anyone how their surfboard needs to perform. Surfboards have evolved as surfers tackled new ‘liquid terrain’. Ancient Hawaiian surfboards In the early days of surfing in ancient Hawaii. Surfing was a deeply…

is one of Americas most fun thing to do. Surfing, used to only be something that royalty used to do, because it was expensive, and royalty had money to enter into competitions, in places like Hawaii. Although surfing used to only be a thing that royalty did, it is now done everywhere around the world, and it can be done by anyone, you do not have to be "royalty" to surf, there are people that surf everyday, and they are not royalty. There is something about surfing, that makes people feel free.…