Karuma Would Go Tee!

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Karuma would go tee! In memory of Eddie Aikau.

Some of you may be familiar with the legendary Eddie Aikau, but for those of you who don’t know here is a little background story on him.

Eddie was one of the most badass surfers and also the first ever official lifeguard at Waimea Bay, located on Oahu’s North Shore. During his time as a lifeguard it’s estimated that he rescued over 500 people and not one life was lost even though the waves often reached 30 ft. high or more.

In 1978, when Eddie was 31 he volunteered for a 30 day, 2,500 mile journey to board the Hokule’a which would follow the ancient route of the Polynesian migration between the Hawaiian and Tahitian island chains. 12 miles out the canoe developed a leak and sank south of the island of Molokai. Eddie insisted to get help and paddled toward Lanai on his surfboard. The rest of the crew was later saved by the coast guard but Aikau was never seen again. It was said that he removed his life jacket since it got in the way of him paddling. The search for Eddie lasted 1 week which was the largest air-sea search in Hawaiian history.

In Eddie’s honor, Quiksilver hosts “The Eddie” Big Wave Invitational at Waimea Bay.

The phrase came from the first Eddie contest when the organizers were discussing whether to put it on since the waves were huge and the conditions were extremely dangerous. Mark Foo looked out and said “Eddie would go.” The phrase stuck and would later spread across the islands and around the world on tee shirts and bumper stickers. Many say Eddie was a legend to the North Shore, saving people from waves that nobody else would dare to.

The tournament has only been held eight times, only because the swells must reach a minimum of 20 feet which translates to a wave face height of over 30 ft. The contest only invites 28 big-wave riders to participate in two rounds of competition.

Eddie Aikau is definitely a legend and we made this tee in memory of him. This is a short summary of him but hopefully you can understand the message after reading this. Thank you Eddie!!

This tee is available in 4 different colors so choose your favorite!