Hundreds gathered at Waimea Bay on Friday for the opening ceremony of the Rip Curl Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, marking the start of the three-month holding period for one of surfing’s most revered and infrequently run events.The ceremony, rich with protocol, mele and the presence of generations of big-wave riders, honored legendary waterman Eddie Aikau and his brother Clyde who died in May.The Eddie, known for its near-mythic status in global surf culture, only runs when Waimea delivers consistent, 20-to 25-foot Hawaiian scale surf—roughly 40 to 50 feet on the face—for an entire day. That threshold is so rare that the competition has run just 11 times in the last 49 years.Honolulu lifeguard Joey Cadiz, stationed at the Waimea Bay tower, said the ceremony marks the official start of the waiting period, which runs from Dec. 7 to early March.“Sometimes you get waves that come for a few hours and then it’s gone, ” Cadiz said. “It has to be a big enough swell that lasts the entire day. That’s why it’s so rare—but that’s also what makes it so special.”Cadiz said Hawaii takes pride in its surfing roots and Waimea Bay remains one of the earliest and most iconic big-wave spots ever attempted.Honoring Eddie Aikau—Waimea Bay’s first lifeguard, who was lost at sea in 1978 after paddling for help when the Hokule ‘a capsized off Molokai—is central to the event’s identity.“As lifeguards, we’re here not only to protect the public but to educate them, ” he added, noting Friday’s rising swell and crowded shoreline. “We’re not here to ruin your day—we want you to get home safely.”Cadiz emphasized that even elite athletes are not immune to danger.“The ocean does not discriminate. Some of the best surfers, watermen and waterwomen get in trouble, ” he said. “We just hope people listen to the lifeguards’ warnings.”Among those at the ceremony was Luke Shepardson, the North Shore lifeguard who made global headlines by winning the 2023 Eddie.“It’s always exciting when winter rolls around—you never know what it’s going to bring, ” said Shepardson, who worked on the day he won. “If the bay calls the day, we’ll be here to ride big waves in honor of Uncle Eddie and Uncle Clyde.”Shepardson, invited to the event since 2017, grew up attending the ceremonies long before he ever imagined competing.“As a kid, I never thought I’d be big enough or brave enough, ” he said. “Being out there in the circle, with all the mana—you get chicken skin.”Last year’s winner, Landon McNamara, returned despite nursing fractured ribs from a recent Hale ‘iwa surfing contest.“The opening ceremony is always special. You can feel the mana, ” he said. “It’s even heavier this year because we lost Uncle Clyde.”McNamara, who won the Eddie in towering 40-plus-foot surf—including a perfect 50-point Best Wave score—said he feels no pressure returning as champion and sees the event more as time spent with family and friends.“I get to surf alongside some of my best friends, ” he said, noting fellow competitor and past winner Shepardson and his hanai brother, Eala Stewart. “We all do the best we can. Eddie and Clyde will send the right wave to the right person.”Reflecting on last year’s conditions, he described both triumph and risk.“Seeing people almost get sucked into the jump rock reminds you that even with thousands watching, there are times you’re completely alone out there.”Despite the injury keeping him temporarily sidelined, McNamara said he’s looking forward to the season.Asked about the ubiquitous Hawaii bumper sticker “Eddie Would Go, ” McNamara said the meaning goes far deeper than big-wave bravado.“It’s that warrior mentality—putting yourself in harm’s way for the right cause, ” he said. “That’s who Eddie was.”California-born big-wave surfer Bianca Valenti, one of the women invited to this year’s Eddie, said competing last year was “one of the greatest days of my life.”“The honor is beyond anything—Eddie was about service, aloha spirit, pushing what’s possible, ” she said.Valenti described the moment her heat entered the water : “The waves are insane, but you’ve also got this incredible crowd of people cheering you on … you don’t think about any of the water patrol or the spectators or all the noise out there, you’re just ready to go, these giant waves come.”She highlighted the event’s generational impact, noting that the roster includes surfers in their 20s through their 60s.“It shows you can keep getting better, stay inspired, and keep pushing no matter your age, ” she said.Valenti also recognized rising talents like 19-year-old alternate Zoe Chait, a Californian lifeguard who recently performed a two-mile rescue off duty.“I’m equally inspired by the young kids as the legends, ” she said.This year’s Eddie will include 32 surfers, split into heats of seven men and one woman. Each heat runs for an hour, giving competitors two hours total in the water. With Waimea’s long lulls and scarce set waves, organizers say limiting each heat to just eight surfers creates an unusually open and valuable window to catch waves.The event will run only if Waimea produces sustained surf of at least 40-50-foot faces.The Eddie’s cultural magnitude in Hawaii is unmatched, McNamara said.“If this event runs, there isn’t one kid going to school—and half the teachers aren’t showing up either, ” he said with a laugh. “That’s okay. You gotta be down here.”As the holding period opens, competitors, lifeguards and fans now do what they have always done : wait for the call.“When the bay calls the day, ” Shepardson said, “we’ll be ready.”