Landon McNamara Is Your 2024 Rip Curl Eddie Aikau Champ

Editor’s note: this post is still being updated.

At 3 AM, the road to Waimea Bay was already gridlocked.

One moment, the Eddie Aikau Invitational was on standby, and the next, it was all systems go.

As the sun rose, the beach filled with spectators squinting at the horizon. Livestreams flickered on around the world, but early conditions left many unimpressed. Was this it? A letdown?

Nope. The swell arrived by the first heat.

Vests strapped on, bodies flinging off cliffs, falling in perfect, chaotic harmony. Madness for glory; the day produced a cascade of genuinely heroic flashpoints.

Let’s take a moment to revisit some of the day’s biggest events, shall we?

Waimea must have been saving herself for the buzzer, holding back like she was waiting for the cameras to roll. Heat 1 of the Eddie, featuring the defending champ — and the only surfer in the competition who cared to match his spring suit to his board. A misfire from the rest of the crew; Luke strolled into the lineup wearing a fluorescent green wetty; his board a neon replica — solid, eye popping green. 

“He’s an understated guy who cares about fashion,” came from the booth. Respect.

Impressive rides came and went throughout the heat, but as it neared its end, Luke found himself in the right place at the right time, snagging a wave that shut down the entire bay.

“I didn’t want to hassle anyone or jump the line, since I’d just caught a wave and was pretty far inside. I thought I was done for when I stood up,” Luke said, recalling his takeoff under a 40-foot lip. “It’s as beautiful as you could ask for out there,” he added, nodding toward the mutant corpse-hunters looming behind him. “I’m off duty today. Took a vacation day this year, but I’ll back up my coworkers if they need me.”

“Luke’s the guy to beat,” said Eli Olsen in a post-heat interview, having caught the second-best wave of the heat. “But I just want it to get monstrous. I want the sky to turn black. Everybody’s charging, everybody wants it. But I want it more.”

He would get his wish.

In a post-heat interview, midway through the comp, Moana Jones-Wong told viewers that while things were getting intense, the swell had probably peaked, and the conditions would likely calm down in the hours to come.

Moments later, a set from the underworld appeared on the horizon. Surfers scrambled, jet skis roared, but it didn’t matter. Not a single soul made it out. They were swallowed whole, sucked into the beast. Gulp, cry, goodbye.

All morning, the commentary team riffed on whether anyone would channel Andy Irons from 2009 and take on the shorebreak gurgler. Jokes flew, but in all seriousness, officials had made it clear: no attempts allowed. Too dangerous, they said.

Billy Kemper clearly has no regard for agreements or rules. He connected with the inside section, lined up for the shorebreak, grabbed rail, and for a split-second, stood there like a god. Then, in an instant, the camera caught him mid-cartwheel, spinning inside the tube.

“These waves might be 60 feet,” said Billy in the post heat interview. 

Billy went on to strong-arm some of the best waves of the day, ultimately finishing with a well-earned third place.

Heat two, and if we weren’t there already, things were genuinely dangerous. Mark Healey and Ian Walsh paddled, against their better judgment, into one of the most furious-looking waves of the morning. Both men were deeper than any sane human would dare to be, but for the sake of description, let’s say Walsh was on the shoulder. He became one with a lip thicker than his body was tall, got edged outward, and for a few brief moments, seemed to be flying. Then, he was hammered into the earth.

Healy went even deeper, took off under the ledge, and caught a rail as soon as he got to his feet. He was launched face-first into concrete. What came next, you’d have to imagine, would have been akin to being tossed around on a malfunctioning carnival ride, the kind that leaves you questioning all your life choices. 

Hawaiian water patrol was on him in seconds, speeding him to shore, where a crowd quickly gathered around the man, motionless on the sand.

“It’s a full blown emergency,” declared the booth. “That wave did not want to be ridden, but both gentleman took an almighty swing at it.”

By all reports, Mark is recovering well.

Everything started to burn by heat four. RCJ, 58 but still moving like a damn panther, was the first to strike, setting the tone for the heat.

Next up, Nate Florence stroked in, air-dropped, and eventually reconnected with the wave, but for a split second, his fins didn’t bite. Midway down, they grabbed hold, shot him forward, and he blasted into open water.

“That’s the best wave of the morning so far,” the booth quipped. “So late, so deep — better than Luke’s wave.”

Flick Palmateer raised her hand next, paddled deep, grabbed rail all the way down the mountain, and slotted herself into the highlight reel. Three of the best waves of the day, sandwiched between face-plunges that could crack bones. Big heat.

Not much to say here, really. After muscling some of the meatiest waves of the entire event, climbing the leaderboard to just one spot shy of victory, Mase capped it off with yet another iconic moment, completely obliterating his body for the sake of our entertainment. We do not deserve this man. 

The beauty of the Eddie, over the past two years, is that the winners treat surfing like a side hustle. Last year’s champion, Luke Shephardson, took the title while on duty as a North Shore lifeguard, and this year, Landon claims victory while balancing it with his career as a professional musician.

In the second-to-last heat of the day, Landon launched himself over the ledge — or maybe under it, if you’re trying to make sense of the physics. It was as if he was riding back into the wave, given the over-vert ramp he was dealing with. 

Somehow, he stuck the drop, took a truckload of water straight to the head, and miraculously stayed on his feet. He surfaced, arms raised, with a perfect score. 

“The entire ocean landed on his shoulders, and he still came out successful.” 

The 2024 Rip Curl Eddie Invitational champ, now immortalised in the annals of Hawaiian surf lore, and $50k heavier in the pocket.

“I was following a turtle out there. For real. That to me was the Spirit of Eddie, and Eddie chooses who wins. I’m just so thankful he picked me,” said Landon, teary-eyed in his victory speech.

Last heat of the day, last wave of the day. Nate stands tall, knees locked, arms raised, giving the beach a salute, staring them down like a man who’s seen it all. Then, just like that, he vanishes into the void.

That’s it, folks. The 2024 Eddie’s done. We’ll have a full premium scene report from the day live on site soon.