Eddie Aikau - Legend of a Hero
Three decades ago, a young surfer paddled to his death on a rescue mission that turned him into an icon of Hawaiian courage.
Eddie Aikau's sacrifice solidified the Hawaiian image of commitment, strength, humility and cultural pride that endures to this day.
Read the complete article from the Honolulu Advertiser, Reporter: Jan TenBruggencate, at this link:
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008803160362
I never knew Eddi Aikau. I only learned of him reading about the contest. I do however have a connection. While not knowing it at the time, I was one of the many sets of eyes looking for him in mid-March of 1978.
I joined the US Coast Guard in Sept. of 1977 and went to boot camp in Alameda California. My first assignment as a seaman apprentice was aboard the USCGC Burton Island, an aging Wind-class Ice Breaker. I was deployed to Antarctica in early December 1977 and was in operations opening the channel to McMurdo Station by January. We finished our operations in late February 1998 and stopped off in Wellington New Zealand for supplies and then Suva Fiji for a liberty port-of-call.
For the next leg of our Voyage home to San Francisco Bay, we were scheduled to stop at Honolulu for 5 days. During the passage I was assigned to the bridge mid-watch, which is from 0000-0400 and 1200 -1600.
On bridge watch we rotated three stations between the watch-standers. 20 minutes on helm, 20 minutes on message runner, and 20 minutes on lookout. Two days out from Suva Fiji we received standing orders that at the time, we all thought were a weird. "All lookouts, be on the lookout for a single man on a surfboard". For the next three days we did just that, but then the order was rescinded. None of knew what it was about at the time.
It wasn't until about 10 years ago, when I was reading an article in Surfer Magazine about the Eddie Aikau at Waimea. Even then it took some time for me to make the connection. The time frame is right, mid-March 1978. The location a line between Suva Fiji and Honolulu Hawaii. I can only conclude that I was looking out for Eddie Aikau.
Not much of a connection, but hey, I’ve been a kook surfer for 40 years too.
Swim to Live, Live to Surf
Brandon_Forest@sbcglobal.net
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