The phrase - Eddie Would Go - is found on bumper stickers and T-shirts sold in surf shops around the world. Its meaning has never been fully explained to me until I got to Paia, Hawaii last week. It's about the extraordinary life and tragic death of Eddie Aikau, a Hawaiian waterman, lifeguard and pioneering big-wave rider.In the 1980's, bumper stickers and T-shirts with the phrase "Eddie Would Go" spread around the Hawaiian Islands to the rest of the world.
It’s not hard to run into Eddie Aikau these days. From the famous image of Eddie cruising a big wave across the face of a Bank of America check, to the Internet tributes, clothing lines, and Quiksilver’s surfing competition in his honor, Eddie is everywhere.
According to maritime historian Mac Simpson, " Eddie Aikau was a legend on the North Shore, pulling people out of waves that no one else would dare to. That's where the saying came from -- Eddie would go, when no else would or could. Only Eddie dared.