A legend was born on May 4th, 1946 on the island of Maui. He was known as the first lifeguard at Waimea Bay on the island of Oahu, becoming famous for surfing the toughest, biggest waves and saving over 500 lives. His name was Edward Ryon Makuahanai Aikau, descendant of Hewahewa, the Kahuna Nui (high priest) of King Kamehameha I, and his successor, Kamehameha II. Eddie became a true symbol of Aloha because of his actions and attitude. He would put others first before himself. To remember and honor the brave surfer, a competition is held annually in March known as “Eddie Would Go”. Aikau started surfing at the age of 11. When he moved to Oahu, he dropped out of school at the age of 16 to work full time at the Dole Cannery. With the money …show more content…
In 1976, the Polynesian Voyaging Society sailed the Hokule'a on a successful, 30-day 2500 mile journey following the ancient route of the Polynesian migration between the Hawaiian and Tahitian islands. In 1978, a second voyage of the traditional sailing canoe was planned. At 31 years of age, Aikau was selected for this voyage as a crew member. The Hokule'a left the Hawaiian Islands on March 16, 1978. Just about 12 miles away from Molokai, the voyaging canoe interfered with a stormy weather that flipped the canoe over. Eddie tried convincing his captain to let him paddle on his surfboard (which was brought with him on the voyage) 12 miles to Lanai in an attempt to save his crew members. Hours later, the Hokule’a and the rest of the crew was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard, but Aikau was still missing at sea. With Eddie missing at sea, it leads to a search that became the largest air-sea search in Hawaiian history. Despite great search efforts, Eddie was never seen again. It was a tremendous loss for the surf community, but it was an even bigger loss for Hawaiʻi and the United States. The foremost champion of the newest state was taken from the community he loved much too early. The North Shore was devastated. However, from the devastation arose the community Eddie held so close, strengthened by its resolve to not only remember their hero but celebrate
Throughout Australian history, there have been men and women who fought for the entitlements of the indigenous people. The most respected and recognised of these is Eddie Mabo, a Torres Strait Islander. Mabo stood up for the rights of his people from a very young age all the way to his death, in order to generate changes in the policies and laws of the government. Mabo battled for his right to own the land which he had inherited from his adoptive father, a fight which was resolved only after his demise. Despite this, Eddie Mabo became one of the key influential figures in the Aboriginal rights movement, as his strong will, determination, and intelligence allowed him to bring about change.
school classes regularly. At the age of fifteen, he got a job at a local
he could find and loaded them into a canoe. After that, he went into the
She and her copilot Frederick J. Noonan’s goal was to circle the Earth along the 27,000-mile equator. The pair set out on June 1st and successfully made it to Lae, New Guinea. From New Guinea, their next stop would have been Howland Island in the Southern Pacific Ocean. Sadly, the Coast Guard had one last contact with them and it was indicated that they were low on fuel. After that they were no longer heard from. The search for Earhart and Noonan became the nation’s largest, most extensive sea search in history. Most people believe that their plane crashed just a couple hundred miles away from Howland Island, their destination. Many rumors began to pop up with some of them being that it was a secret intelligence mission cover-up or that they were captured by the Japanese.
Eddie work for an ocean-side amusement park as the head of maintenance. He seems to have been sucked in and stuck at his job because of certain things that have happened in his life. Injured in World War 2, Eddie now walks with a limp. Eddie is 83 years old when he passes away by trying to save a small child from a cart falling on one of the rides at the park, and when he tries to move the child out of the way the cart falls killing him.
Eddie may have lost his American Dream but, he had saved numerous amounts of people over the years by his maintenance work. Eddie can now replace regret with honor for all he has accomplished on earth. Eddie from the treatment of his father saw it was far easier to never express love to others. Eddie’s journey taught him that everyone is connected to each other so that one’s actions will influence someone else. Every life touches another and everything is connected it is all one big life. Eddie loved, hated, resented, appreciated, laughed, cried, cared, neglected, but life was truly a memorable
Surfing has come a long way since it was first conceived (roughly 1500 years ago). From the Polynesian “watermen” and Hawaiian Kings, to the European takeover in Hawaii and surfing's American debut in the early twentieth century and all the way through present day, surfing has had a rich history. Over the decades, surfing has fit in to a number of roles in society, but whether we surfers are seen as beach-bums or heroes (as of late), we still surf only because we love it, because the ocean’s calls us, because nothing else on this planet can create the sensation felt by riding a wave.
At the age of fourteen years old Eddie Aikau became a professional surfer in his home
This specific contest had a substandard turnout, despite the fact that there were very empowering advertisements. Out of the 12 female surfers competing, four of them caught waves, and two of those women were hospitalized. This competition was a reminder that there are physical barriers to big wave surfing. Currie intends to spread the message that it doesn’t matter how skilled a female professional surfer is, they should stick to the smaller, safer
It is the story of a man named Eddie who for almost his whole life was the
As we pulled out of my parents driveway, the circumstances seemed very surreal. My entire way of life had been turned upside down with only a few hours consideration. I was very much “at sea” in the ...
I recall in vivid detail the scenery around us as we embarked on our perilous journey down the Nantahala. We arrived at the drop-off point in the early afternoon the next day. The sweet smell of fresh pine trees was floating in the air and a soft midsummer breeze was brushing against our faces. After receiving directions and safety precautions from our rafting instructor, we geared up, boarded our raft, and set out for our voyage down the treacherous Nantahala. Sharing the experience with me were my mother, aunt, uncle, and cousin; along with out rafting guide. We were all ready for a fun and safe ride down the Nantahala.
I half expected that we would set him off to sea since thats what we would of done if someone had done if someone had died on the ship. Recently people in our settlement are telling stories of strange men and women called maori “ the supposed natives of the land” that have been spotted approaching our settlement, as not seeing this my self I am not sure what to make of these current rumours, but it still scares me and I often became nervous at night and feel like they were watching me in the shadows, I just hope that these rumours stay
Thinking of surfing brought me to think about my brother who is a surfer. I reminisced about the times he and I had sat quietly in the ocean waiting to see that perfect bump in the horizon. He taught me a great lesson in surfing; you don’t always have to pick the first option because there are more opportunities to
Towards the end of 1989, my family and I were on vacation in Fort Myers, Florida. We drove from Trenton, New Jersey all the way to Florida where my grandfather lived. It was a long trip to undergo, especially being six years old and knowing that my father never stopped the car. By the time we arrived at Fort Myers, it was a beautiful sunny day. The wind was gusting enough to pull my hair back, and I was admiring the palm trees, coconuts, and lizards near the Gulf of Mexico. The first few days were nice, but little did I know that I would soon be caught in the middle of a twister.