Stay up to date all throughout The Eddie waiting period with Quiksilver's very own Mark Healey and video reports from the North Shore. New videos are posted each week.

It's a rare international sporting event that can have no set date, be held just eight times in a span of 27 years, and still gain strength. But the lifeblood of the big wave Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau lies in what one man's life represented: the best that surfing and Hawaii have to offer the world.

The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau is the most venerated big wave surfing event on Earth, held at Waimea Bay, Oahu, on a single day during the Hawaiian winter when, and if, waves exceed the 20-foot minimum requirement. The official holding period for this year, the 27th annual, is December 1, 2011 through February 29, 2012.

The Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau proudly announces the 2011/2012 Competitors.

Surfing doesn't dodge Mother Nature's bullets; it seeks them out. It takes a special brew of energy from Mother Nature to even rouse athletes for The Eddie, and the heavier the storm, the greater the likelihood of a green light.

What makes The Eddie special are the years it doesn't go. In 26 years there have been just eight days of surfing, but the Eddie's stringent guidelines are what guarantee one of life's ultimate experiences when Eddie is a “GO” – for both surfers and spectators.