How to Bet on the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational

Formerly known as the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau upon its inception, the event was renamed The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational when the contract between the Aikau/The Eddie Aikau Foundation expired and could not agree to terms for a contract. Since its launch, the event had only taken place 9 times from 1984 to 2016, due to the requirements of the competition.

For the event to take place, waves at Waimea Bay must reach at least 60 feet/18 meters, or over three stories high. The event will be canceled if waves are smaller. The competition window is from December 1 to the last day of February the next year, when winter swells produce the biggest waves on the Bay.

The event was created in honor of the late Eddie Aikau, who was considered to be a life-saving lifeguard of Waimea Bay and a champion big wave surfer who was one of the very few brave souls who dared ride the winter swell's huge waves during his time.

Competition Format

The event's format is different from most professional surfer competitions. There is no elimination round and all 28 invited big wave surfers get to surf two rounds of heats. Each heat involves 7 surfers who can surf up to 4 waves for each round. The performances are scored between 1 to 100, and the total of the surfer's two highest scores will be totaled. Whoever scores the highest will win the competition.

Prize money for the event has increased over the years, with John John Florence of Hawaii winning in 2016 with $75,000, the biggest prize for the event so far. Other past winners of the invitational include Clyde Aikau (Eddie's brother), 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, and the most recent one, John John Florence.

Betting On the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational

If you want to bet on this thrilling surfing tournament, then you can do so using the following bets.

Outright Winner

This is a simple bet type where you place a bet on the potential winner of the event. Each year, surfers who are invited to participate in the competition are announced and invited to join the opening ceremony, which takes place on the first Thursday of December. The event is unpredictable, with the wave conditions being a requirement, there can be a possibility that it will get canceled.

Nevertheless, once the participants and alternates are announced, you can choose the outright winner from the list of participants of that year.

Head to Head

Head to Head betting is when there is an imaginary duel between two participants. From the list of invited surfers, you can choose two participants and bet on which one of them will do better than the other. Neither of them has to win, you just need to make a bet on which one will have a bigger score. For example, you bet that John John Florence will do better than Kelly Slater. If John John Florence gets a higher score than Kelly Slater, you win the bet.

Prop Bets

Prop Bets are where you can get creative. You can bet that Clyde Aikau might make a legendary comeback, past winner Greg Long might make it to the top 6, Shane Dorian making a great action video from his performance or anything that could happen in the competition. If that activity will occur, then you win the bet.

Live Betting

Live betting is when you place a bet on the event once it has begun. This can be tricky with "The Eddie," because as mentioned earlier, swell conditions dictate whether or not the competition will take place. You will have to monitor the event from December 1 to the end of February if you want to take a risk on this kind of bet style. What makes this style advantageous is that you can see which surfers are doing well at the beginning of the competition to make an informed decision on your bets.

Futures

Futures is a betting style where you place a bet on a future winner of "The Eddie." You could bet that John John Florence will win again in the next edition of the competition, or an up-and-coming big wave rider may win it. This kind of bet style takes time because there is no assurance when "The Eddie" will take place again.

The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational is a "specialty event" that has taken place only 9 times since 1984. Still, it is one of the most respected and highly anticipated competitions in the world of surfing. Placing your bet on past winners may not be the most effective way to win a bet on this event, but the unpredictability of the competition is one of the most exciting things about it.