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The waves returned to Waimea Bay for the 2023 Eddie Aikau Invitational. (Photo: Getty Images)

A Beach Lifeguard Just Won the Super Bowl of Big-Wave Surfing

Luke Shepardson took a break from the lifeguard chair to win the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational

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(Photo: Getty Images)

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Luke Shepardson took a break from his busy work schedule to win one of pro surfing鈥檚 most prestigious competitions.

No, really.

Shepardson, 27, is a lifeguard with the City and County of Honolulu, and on Sunday he was . But Shepardson is also a top surfer, and had secured an invitation Sunday鈥檚 Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, the Super Bowl for big-wave surfers that hadn鈥檛 been held since 2016. Shepardson worked his shift, and then paddled out into the thumping swell at Waimea Bay to participate in the event. He rode a series of monster waves鈥攊ncluding a 30 footer鈥攖o record the highest score, earning 89.1 of a possible 90 points. He nudged defending champ John John Florence聽out for the win.

In a scene that appeared even too weird for Hollywood, a wide-eyed Shepardson stood on the stage clad in his work uniform鈥攜ellow lifeguarding shirt and red board shorts鈥攖o accept his win.

鈥淚 told myself I鈥檓 in it because I can win it,鈥 Shepardson told a local TV news reporter, looking dazed. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I was telling myself all day. Super scary, waves were huge. It鈥檚 a dream come true to be a part of the Eddie, to just be on the alternate list, and then to be in it, I can鈥檛 believe it, f鈥斺 crazy.鈥

Shepardson then added that his workday wasn鈥檛 over鈥攈e had to get back to the lifeguard tower.

The storybook ending was a fitting one for the competition鈥攌nown affectionately as 鈥淭he Eddie鈥 in surfing circles鈥攄ue to its historical ties to lifesaving. Part surf tournament, part cultural event, the competition鈥檚 namesake, legendary Hawaiian surfer Eddie Aikau, is said to have been the first lifeguard to patrol the island鈥檚 dangerous North Shore. He died in 1978 while attempting to save the crew of a canoe, and the Aikau family began the competition in 1984 as a way to honor his memory. But the competition is only held when the waves top 20 feet at Waimea Bay for a long enough duration for top pros to arrive鈥攃onditions that require just the right combination of swell, wind, and sunshine. The 2023 event marked just its tenth edition since its origin.

Historically, the competition gives surfers 48 hours to get to Hawaii if the waves are good enough. That hadn鈥檛 happened for seven years, and it looked like the 2023 edition might be a bust as well. Shortly after the event announced in early January it would run this year, organizers called it off after the forecasted swell looked smaller than expected. Organizers delayed the event from January 10 until January 22.

The delay allowed the hype to reach a fever pitch, and according to multiple reports, approximately 50,000 spectators lined the beach at Waimea Bay to take in the waves. The lineup of surfers was equally as impressive, with Florence, father-and-son duo Mason and Michael Ho, and big-wave champions Billy Kemper and Kai Lenny, among others.

鈥淲e鈥檝e all had the Eddie Aikau posters in our rooms growing up, so to have the opportunity to actually go out there for Eddie and his ohana, the Aikaus, was a dream come true for me,鈥 Lenny .

These days, the Aikau family hand picks the surfers invited to compete. According to the , Shepardson was among three lifeguards selected, alongside Dave Wassel and Joe Cadiz.

The 2023 edition marked a historic first for the competition鈥攕ix women were invited to surf: Makani Adric, Paige Alms, Justine Dupont, Emily Erickson, Keala Kennelly, and Andrea Moller. Kennelly was an alternate聽to participate in the 2016 edition, but 2023 marked the first bonafide lineup of women surfers. Moller paddled into a breaking swell during the first set to become the first woman to catch a wave in the event鈥檚 history. K Mindy Pennybacker, a columnist with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser,聽 that surfing culture has assumed that Waimea was simply too dangerous for female surfers.

鈥淭o see women鈥攏ot only women surfing Waimea but women and men sharing the same event together, with mutual respect and equality鈥擨鈥檓 just really thrilled at the thought,鈥 Pennybacker said.

Lead Photo: Getty Images

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