A local Hawaiian surfer & lifeguard won the most prestigious big wave surfing contest in the world, the Eddie Aikau Invitational, during his lunch and rest breaks. Pictured here, Luke Shepardson riding his winning wave at the event. Own this print and your proceeds will go to three charities near and dear to my heart.
Waimea Bay on Oahu’s North Shore has long been the home of big wave surfing and the Eddie Aikau Invitational. The most prestigious contest in the world, it started 30 years ago and only has run 10 times since because the contest will only run if the surf is in excess of the 25 foot range.
Eddie Aikau was Waimea Bay’s first lifeguard and he’s said to be responsible for saving hundreds of lives during his tenure. He was a crew member on the Hawaiian voyaging canoe, The Hokulea, when it capsized on March 17th, 1998 about 20 miles south of the Hawaiian islands. Displaying heroic courage, Eddie opted to grab a surfboard and paddle back towards land to get help, but sadly was never seen again.
Named in Eddie’s Honor, the Eddie Aikau Invitational got the go-ahead to start again on Feb 22nd this year. Conditions were huge – in fact the biggest and most relentless waves in history. Regular sets of 30 and 40-foot-waves, even 50 feet at times, pushed the competitors to their limits over the course of the entire day. Many big wave specialists were in attendance, yet it turned out to be a local surfer & lifeguard, Luke Shepardson who rode the largest waves with the greatest skill and won the event. Much like Eddie Aikau, seized the moment whenever the opportunity presented itself. On the day of the Eddie Aikau Invitational, despite being rostered to work, his captain gave him the blessing to surf the event during his lunch and afternoon breaks. Yes, that’s right. He surfed his heats during his rest breaks.
This was a remarkable event with many of the contestants catching the waves of their lives. Luke did as well, and when the event was said and done, he stood on the stage bewildered by not only getting to surf the greatest surf contest of all time, but actually winning it and honoring the great Eddie Aikau.
You couldn’t script this story any better. I’ve photographed surfing a lot since the mid 70’s, but never have I seen such a spectacle as this one.
This picture tells a story. This is actually Luke dropping down into a monster wave, while several of his fellow lifeguards are watching him from their rescue skis up on the shoulder of this wave. With that in mind, I called this picture “One Of Their Own.” This was the wave that sealed the win for him and I’m so stoked to have captured this moment. It is in my opinion one of the greatest moments of the sport of surfing, ever.
Many folks have asked me if I would offer prints of this for sale. I went back and forth on it a bit toying with the idea of a limited edition, but have decided to hold off on going down that road and for now offering open editions.
For those who want a specific size & format, follow this guide below. You can order this print up to 30 x 60 inches on Gloss paper, luster paper, metallic paper or exhibition canvas.
For those seeking my advice, I recommend ordering this in a larger size print or canvas to truly do the photo justice.
| Paper type | 16x 24in | 20x30in | 24x36in | 30x48in | 38x60in |
| Epson premium Gloss paper | 134.00 | 210.00 | 302.00 | 504.00 | 798.00 |
| Epson premium luster paper | 134.00 | 210.00 | 302.00 | 504.00 | 798.00 |
| Epson metallic gloss paper | 154.00 | 240.00 | 346.00 | 576.00 | 912.00 |
| Epson metallic luster paper | 154.00 | 240.00 | 346.00 | 576.00 | 912.00 |
| Epson exhibition canvas | 230.00 | 360.00 | 518.00 | 864.00 | 1,368.00 |
From the proceeds of any print sale, I’m stoked to pay tribute to the inspiration behind this photo.
- I’m giving 10% to Luke and his family. (It’s very expensive to raise a family here)
- I’m donating 10% towards the care of James Bitzer, the 4-year-old son of Luke’s workmate Jason Bitzer
- I’ll be donating 10% towards the Hawaii North Junior Lifeguards program.
It feels good to contribute to causes that I care about. Speaking of causes, if you can help with James Bitzer’s fund, you’ll find his GoFundMe page here.
I believe in great service, so do feel free to email me and I’ll answer any questions that you have. I can take your order via online here or email, if that is your preference. Other folks get a little bewildered with the online order experience, so I’m more than happy to work directly over the phone and delivery.
Mahalo,
Sean