SURFING-EDDIE AIKAU-HAWAI-BIG WAVE

Big wave surfer Mason Ho paddles out to perform a ceremony for the opening of the 2016 Quiksilver Eddie Aikau invitational big wave contest ceremony at Waimea Bay on December, 1st, 2016 off the island of Oahu in Hawaï. Beginning in 1985, the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational has been an invite-only big-wave event that takes place at Waimea Bay on the North Shore of Oahu, where the late Eddie Aikau served as the North Shores first lifeguard. Opting only to run when conditions reach the 20-foot-plus range (Hawaiian scale40-50 ft faces), The Eddie has only run nine times in its history. / AFP / brian bielmann / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE (Photo credit should read BRIAN BIELMANN/AFP via Getty Images)