Eddie Aikau Competition 2011 - (almost)

Last week, we had 20 to 40 foot waves predicted and the Eddie Aikau competition was predicted to go off. So I drove up to Waimea Bay and brought my camera and some snacks and waited.  We got to the beach around 7 am, and people had been waiting since 4.  They waited until sunrise to make the call, then till 8:30, then kept waiting.  Finally they made the call and it was a no go.  The waves were an easy 20 feet, but they weren't consistently big enough to hold the competition.  Even though the competition didn't go, the surfers were out in full effect and the waves were amazing.  Here are some pictures that I took that morning.

There were a lot of jet ski guys in the water to make sure the surfers were safe and any wipe outs were scooped out of the water as soon as they could get to them.  This is when they were going through the shore break.  CrazY!

The lineup was huge!

I love these shots...

All in

Checking out the waves before surrendering to mother nature.

So many dogs...

Killer ride, SOLO!

Yep this is a body boarder, and he lands it!

Coming in from the surf, taking a dive.

Just getting out of the water was a challenge, the guys rode the shore break all the way in and up on the beach.

Just a few shots of the guys braving the surf.  More photos to come soon of them riding.