“The canoe capsized and he tried to paddle back to shore for help, but he died. “He was a surfer who went on a double-hulled canoe like the old Hawaiians used,” my cousin explained. Seeing a sticker with Eddie Aikau’s name on it shortly after witnessing the waves in action was fortuitous, though I didn’t realize it until after asking who he was. The nickname for the immense waves (which can exceed 60 feet in height during the winter) is “Jaws.” It’s the perfect vantage point to watch huge waves curl down over intrepid surfers when a swell moves through the area. The spot is well known to locals and surfers.
We were driving down from the north shore of Maui, having just visited the dusty lookout over Peahi. Three words in bold, white print over a black background: Eddie Would Go. My leap into surfing legend and lore started with a bumper sticker. The icon indicates free access to the linked research on JSTOR.
