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Greg Long of San Clemente won the 25th Annual Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau surf contest yesterday after scoring a perfect 100-point wave. Long beat 9-time world champion Kelly Slater of Florida by 10 points, leaving him as the runner-up.
ESPN explains what the Oahu-based event is all about:
It was exactly 25 years to the date when this big wave event first ran in 1984 as a tribute to legendary waterman Eddie Aikau. Aikau was one of the most prolific Waimea Bay surfers and was the first lifeguard at The Bay. He was lost at sea while attempting to paddle for help when the Hawaiian voyaging canoe, Hokule'a, capsized off of O'ahu.
This was Long's first invite to the event. "I never would have thought that this being my first year surfing the event, to come away with a victory is really a childhood dream become real." He used to purposely live out of his van so he could chase the best swells along the coast.
For the Record: An earlier version of this post said the waves were 25 feet. They were actually 50.