If one were to submit the script of the 2023 Eddie win to a Hollywood studio, the feedback underlined in red may describe it as too fantastical. A storybook tale so fanciful that even Disney would have to make it less cliché. A humble underground surfer, family man and North Shore lifeguard wins surfing’s most prestigious contest in between shifts at all-time Waimea Bay — yeah, right.
But that was the reality that day for Luke Shepardson, the lifeguard who famously won the 2023 Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational in thunderous surf. The late, great Clyde Aikau masterfully revealed the event winner on shore, only stating who won when the top two finishers, Luke and former Eddie champ John John Florence, stood shoulder to shoulder in the share of the lifeguard tower.
When the next event kicked off on December 22, 2024, Luke happened to be in the first heat of the day and picked up right where he left off — paddling into one of the largest waves of the event. His timing, positioning, and angle of approach were flawless. As you’ll see in the slow-motion clip courtesy of Tucker Wooding, Luke got to his feet at the apex of this wall, so much so that he gets hung up just below the lip. But he committed to the high line, riding across the section before dropping into the trough at full speed. Note the bumps and bounces he absorbs along the way.
This ride was Luke’s third of the morning and scored an impressive 45.5 (out of 50) points, one of the highest rides of the day. He would finish seventh overall in the event. Not the storybook sequel Disney would have wanted, but a more than deserved paddle entry for the 2025 Big Wave Challenge.
Related: Watch: Big-Wave Legend and Badass Mother Sticks Late Drop at Jaws