On-duty lifeguard wins surf comp with monster wave

1 year ago 41

By Emily Patterson with AP

Lifeguard Luke Shepardson was declared the victor of 1 of the world’s astir prestigious and storied surfing contests held successful Hawaii's Waimea Bay for the archetypal clip successful 7 years.

Shepardson took retired the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational connected Monday, portion John John Florence — the victor the past clip the lawsuit took spot successful 2016 — was runner-up.

A Honolulu water information lifeguard on-duty astatine the time, Shepardson scored 89.1 points retired of a imaginable 90 for 3 waves to borderline retired defending champion Florence and a 40-strong field, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported.

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Mark Healey took 3rd spot and Billy Kemper took fourth.

A local, Shepardson reported for enactment connected the greeting of the contention and completed his runs successful betwixt extended breaks granted by his supervisor.

"I told myself, 'I'm successful it due to the fact that I tin triumph it'," Shepardson told Hawaii News Now.

"It was ace scary, the waves were immense and it was a imagination travel existent conscionable to beryllium portion of The Eddie, conscionable to beryllium connected the alternate list.

"I can't judge it, it's f---ing crazy. I've got to get backmost to the operation to marque definite everyone's OK until the extremity of the day."

The contention besides featured pistillate surfers for the archetypal clip successful its 39-year history, with six women competing.

Brazil's Andrea Moller made past arsenic the archetypal pistillate to thrust a competitory question astatine the Eddie, the Star-Advertiser reported.

The one-day contention held successful Waimea Bay connected Oahu’s North Shore goes up lone erstwhile the surf is consistently ample capable during the wintertime big-wave surfing play from mid-December done to mid-March. Remarkably, the request includes 40-foot-plus (12.2 metres) conditions.

Before this year, the lawsuit had lone been held 9 times since the inaugural contention successful 1984.

The contention honours legendary Native Hawaiian waterman and lifeguard Eddie Aikau.

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