QUIKSILVER ANNOUNCES EDDIE INVITEES El Nino brews excitement for 31-year-old event, which sees relatively unchanged invitee list By Jake Howard

Published: November 17, 2015

November 17, 2015 Views: 2,491







QUIKSILVER ANNOUNCES EDDIE INVITEES El Nino brews excitement for 31-year-old Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay, which sees relatively unchanged invitee list.





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Related Feel that rumble in your stomach? That's Eddie's spirit screaming "YEEEWWW!" Photo: Ryan "Chachi" Craig



Here were present the invitees for the 2015/16 Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay.



In keeping with the advancement in big-wave riding safety, this year Quiksilver will make its new Inflatable Ocean Safety (IOS) vest available to all competitors. Two years in development, the vest is the result of a partnership with aquatic equipment company Aqua Lung, and if long-range projections for this winter prove true, all of the new technology going into this vest, as well as others like it, could play a pivotal role in all contestants making it back to the beach safely.



To celebrate the season, Quik’s hosting “The Big Wave Riders of Hawaii” exhibition on December 2nd, 6-9pm, at their Boardriders Club store in Honolulu, offering a handpicked selection of collodion plate portraits by Bernard Testemale.



The time-tested format of the Eddie remains the same: a one-day contest that will only take place when waves meet or exceed the Hawaiian 20-foot minimum (wave face heights of approximately 40-feet) during a three-month holding period (December 1st, 2015-February 29th, 2016).



The 2015-16 Eddie invitees (first name alphabetical order):

Aaron Gold

Albee Layer

Bruce Irons

Clyde Aikau

Dave Wassel

Garrett McNamara

Grant Baker

Greg Long

Ian Walsh

Jamie Mitchell

Jamie O'Brien

Jeremy Flores

John John Florence

Kala Alexander

Kelly Slater

Kohl Christensen

Makua Rothman

Mark Healey

Nathan Fletcher

Noah Johnson

Peter Mel

Ramon Navarro

Reef McIntosh

Ross Clarke-Jones

Shane Dorian

Sunny Garcia

Takayuki Wakita

Tom Carroll



Official Alternates (seeding order):

Mason Ho (Aikau Pick)

Danilo Couto

Mark Mathews

Koa Rothman

Ben Wilkinson

Jamie Sterling

Billy Kemper

Shawn Dollar

Carlos Burle

Kealii Mamala

Gabriel Villaran

Michael Ho

Kai Lenny

Kahea Hart

Nathan Florence

Damien Hobgood

Kalani Chapman

Ryan Hipwood

Danny Fuller

Nic Lamb

Anthony Tashnick

Rusty Long

Derek Dunfee

Brock Little



Event winners:

1984-85: Denton Miyamura (Haw)

1986-87: Clyde Aikau (Haw)

1989-90: Keone Downing (Haw)

1998-99: Noah Johnson (Haw)

2000-01: Ross Clarke-Jones (Aus)

2004-05: Bruce Irons (Haw)

2001-02: Kelly Slater (USA)

2009-10: Greg Long (USA)

Marking the 31st year of this highly prestigious invitational, one of the biggest El Niños on record continues to build strength in the Pacific, so this year's Eddie could be particularly special.For the most part, the list of surfers remains relatively unchanged from last year, with the exception of Albee Layer replacing Jamie Sterling. Also worthy of note, Mason Ho has received the coveted first alternate slot, followed by Danilo Couto and Mark Mathews.