This year is the 31st anniversary of the event, which honors a Hawaiian surfer and lifeguard who went missing in an attempt to save his crew. The Eddie only runs when wave heights reach 20 feet by Hawaiian standards (40-foot faces). In its three decades, the contest has only run eight times. Big Wave World Tour surfer Greg Long won the event the last time it ran, in 2009/2010.
The waiting period for the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikua holds a waiting period from December 1, 2015 to February 28, 2016.