Farewell to the legend: Clyde Aikau

Big wave surfer. Hawaiian waterman. Cultural ambassador and education advocate. A graceful regularfoot from Haleʻiwa. Waikīkī beachboy.

Legend. That’s who Clyde Aikau is. This week, we lost the man—but his legend lives on.

Early life and family

Clyde Aikau was born in Kahului, Maui, on October 24, 1949. He was the youngest of six children in the Aikau family. The family moved to Oʻahu when Clyde was 10, where they lived as caretakers at a Chinese cemetery in Pauoa Valley.

Surfing beginnings

Five years later, Clyde began learning to surf under the watchful eye of his older brother Eddie. And following in Eddie’s footsteps, Clyde worked alongside him as a lifeguard at Waimea Bay, saving countless lives over the years on the North Shore.

Making his mark

He quickly established himself as a major surf talent on the North Shore, winning multiple surf contests as a teenager, including the Makaha International Surfing Championship.

By the time he was 24, he became the first Native Hawaiian to win the acclaimed Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship.

Eddie and Clyde

Clyde and Eddie were inseparable watermen—best friends and surf buddies.

In 1978, tragedy struck the Aikau family when Eddie was lost at sea while trying to get help after the voyaging Polynesian canoe Hōkūleʻa capsized off Lānaʻi.

Eddie’s disappearance during that fateful voyage shook Clyde deeply, and he devoted himself to carrying on Eddie’s legacy in surfing and Hawaiian culture.

Years later, he voyaged on the Hōkūleʻa to symbolically bring his brother back home, further contributing to the revival of ancient navigation techniques and Hawaiian cultural practices.

The Eddie Invitational

In 1986, Clyde honored his brother’s memory by winning the inaugural Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational—known as The Eddie—at Waimea Bay, a competition held in Eddie’s honor.

Under Clyde’s guidance, the Eddie Invitational grew in cultural significance and maintained its reputation as the pinnacle of big wave surfing events.

The 2022–2023 Eddie marked a historic first by inviting women surfers to compete alongside the men.

Clyde himself continued to participate in the event until 2016, when he surfed at the age of 66—the oldest surfer in the competition. What a legend.

A life beyond surfing

Beyond his surfing accolades, Clyde was a passionate advocate for education. He worked as a liaison between the Department of Education and houseless families in Hawaiʻi, ensuring children had access to necessary resources for their education.

Clyde also worked as a Waikīkī beachboy, teaching visitors how to surf and sharing facts about Hawaiian culture. My friend Ryan learnt to surf at his beachstand called C and K Beach Boys, about 20 years ago. He was taught not by Clyde, but by one of Clyde’s cousins – Zane Aikau.

Legacy and spirit

This quote encapsulates Clyde Aikau for me as the embodiment of the spirit of aloha in the surfing community—and beyond:

When it’s said and done, you know, all the money in the world won’t help you or anything, but it’s really what you do for your fellow man, is what Eddie was all about. And I thank, I thank the surfing world and Hawaiʻi for loving Eddie Aikau still after all these years.

Author: The Wipeout Weekly team