Update, 1 pm NY time, 8 am Hawaiian Standard Time - oops. Only not. As all good waterfolk know, there's the forecast, and then there's what you actually get, and sometimes they just don't match up as well as you would've liked 'em to and there you are with what you actually got. I'd actually looked at the WSL site, first thing I thought was "OH COOL IT ACTUALLY WORKS!" and then the second thing I thought when they panned out to the bay was "huh, those don't look that big". Big enough that I wouldn't go but not as big as I was expecting to see for the contest. Well, sorry for the false alarm, I'll leave this up for the Surfline link and I'll just re-post if they get to do it this year. Bummer bummer bummer.
OK, quick quick post here - this big big big wave surfing contest that happens in Waimea Bay ONLY when waves reach a certain height is actually going on today for the first time in 6 years!
You can watch it live on worldsurfleague.com - I have tons to do at work today but I won't be able to resist peeking in some! ps - as of 8 am Hawaiian standard time, they're still running a broadcast, no surfing, just talking story about surfing and Eddie and Waimea Bay, could be interesting if you have time to watch.
There's a nice history of "The Eddie", in a sort of slide show/article combination, with glorious photos, on Surfline.
I got to see one in 2002, by pure good luck, as I described on Facebook yesterday:
Big day on the big waves in da 'aina tomorrow! Still so grateful that my dad and I got to watch one of these in January 2002, before my folks left Oahu - we didn't set out meaning to see it, we didn't even know it was happening, we just knew there were big waves going on on the North Shore and were headed over there to see those - got stuck in a MASSIVE traffic jam that started just after Haleiwa, saw everything set up on the beach as we passed Waimea Bay, and then just as we were getting into Waimea town, a car backed out of a parking space just as we got to it (perfect!) and my dad grabbed it. Awesome thing to see.
1 comment:
Growing up in the Midwest, we believed ALL waves looked like the ones in this competition!! (Thank you Wide World Of Sports!) Love watching the surfers, can't ever imagine being one of them!!
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