“I told myself because I was in it, I could win it and that was what I was telling myself all day. Super scary, waves were huge!"
A little ironic, I suppose, that the “best day in surfing history,” as big-wave world champ Billy Kemper described it, had nothing to do with the WSL, surf brands or even, as the winner was announced on the beach by Clyde Aikau, a professional surfer.
In building twenty-to-thirty-foot surf, Luke Shepardson, twenty-seven, who started the morning by clocking in to his gig as a North Shore lifeguard, took a few hours off work and by day’s end had beaten the most stacked field in the event’s history.
Apart from defending champ John John Florence, who finished second, Shepardson outsurfed big-wave world champs Makua Rothman and Billy Kemper, both surprise competitors after suffering injuries at the Backdoor Shootout, Kai Lenny, Zeke Lau, Grant Baker, Ross Clarke-Jones and so on.
On the beach, following the win, Shepardson, who won $10,000 and 350,00 Hawaiian Airlines frequent flyer miles, a little less than the 75k John John won in 2016 when the event was still sponsored by Quiksilver, necessarily had to cut his interviews short.
His break was over.
Time to get back to work.
“I told myself because I was in it, I could win it and that was what I was telling myself all day. Super scary, waves were huge,” Shepardson told Chris Latronic. “It’s a dream come true, to be a part of the Eddie, just to be in the alternate list and then be in it.”
Asked if he thought he was on a par with the great Eddie Aikau, the Hawaiian lifeguard whom the contest is name after he said,
“I’ll never be as good as Eddie. He’s someone to look up to, to aspire to be like.”
Shepardson checked the clock.
“I gotta get back to the tower to make sure everyone is ok for the rest of the day.”
Honolulu City & County Lifeguard Luke Shepardson wins the 2023 Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational Championship ▪️ @KHONnews‘ @chrislatronic caught up with the champ following the announcement https://t.co/GkBMcle9AN Stay 2/ #KHON2 for more coverage throughout the evening 🤙🏽 pic.twitter.com/ecWT1OnTot
— Rob DeMello (@RobDeMelloKHON) January 23, 2023