NORTH SHORE, Hawaii (Tuesday, November 1, 2016) - Quiksilver remains committed to finding an amicable and constructive solution to the current legal impasse that is putting the 2016-2017 Quiksilver In Memory Of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational at risk. Quiksilver wants The Eddie To Go.
"Out of respect for Eddie Aikau, the Hawaiian people and the community at large, it is our heartfelt desire to see the tradition of The Eddie carried on without interruption. As a company, we remain committed to working with the family to find a constructive solution to the current legal situation", said Garry Wall, Quiksilver Global Brand Leader. "Quiksilver has never proposed changing the condition requirements for the competition. We have and always will uphold the same stringent condition requirements we instituted when we inaugurated The Eddie 31 years ago and that make The Eddie one of the premier surf events in the world. If condition requirements are what is preventing the 2016-2017 Eddie from happening, then there is no barrier to the event taking place in the 2016-2017 season. We can surely work out any requirements concerns with the Aikau family and have the exact condition requirements they want."
Beginning in 1985, the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau event was an invite-only big-wave event that took place at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu, where the late Eddie Aikau served as the North Shore's first lifeguard. Opting only to run when conditions reach the 20-foot-plus range (Hawaiian scale - 40-50 ft faces), The Eddie has only run nine times in its 30-year history. As a World Surf League (WSL) Speciality-sanctioned big wave event, The Eddie drew a prestigious cross-section of the world's finest watermen, including competitors from the elite WSL Championship Tour (CT).
"Quiksilver appreciates Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell's constructive thoughts and proposals on how to work through a potential permit transfer", said Pierre Agnes, Chief Executive Officer of Quiksilver. "But we believe there is an easier solution here. Instead of continuing this cloud of uncertainty and spending money on lawyers over the coming week and months, Quiksilver and the WSL are happy to run the 2016-2017 Eddie with the permit we already have and at no additional cost to the Aikau family or the community. We understand how important this event is to the heritage of the Hawaiian people and how limited state and city funds are. As such, we are committed to continue our 31 years of support of The Eddie. We sincerely hope that the Aikau family will take us up on our offer."