Top surfers gather in Hawaii to take on 20-foot waves

Top surfers from across the globe gathered in Hawaii today hoping to tackle mountainous waves in the world's longest-running surfing competition. The Quicksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau is an invitation-only event that takes place only when waves top 20 feet or more. Held in Waimea Bay, it has been completed only eight times in its 25-year history. Event organisers are hopeful that forecasts of big waves hold true so that competitors can contend for the £60,000 ($98,000) prize. The Association of Surfing Professionals has said that waves of between 18-22 feet are predicted. They say that there is a 50% chance of the competition going ahead but no announcement has been made about the current conditions in Hawaii. Waves reached a high of 18 feet on Sunday, allowing many of the invitees to test their equipment and prepare for the competition. George Downing, the event's organiser, said: "Let's not forget, we are not dealing with a concrete stadium sporting event. Surfers and great surfing events are 100% dependent upon many nuances of nature that not even the latest, greatest technology can perfectly predict. The potential for 20-foot surf does exist. We might go, we might not, but we will always be ready for when the bay calls the day." What began as a local tribute to one of Hawaii's favourite surfing legends, Eddie Aikau, in 1984, soon turned into a worldwide tournament with competitors gathering from around the world. This year there are 28 participants, including Ross Clarke Jones, a 2001 champion from Australia, and last year's winner Greg Long from California. Aikau, a local resident who was renowned for taking on huge waves, saved countless lives as the bay's official lifeguard but died in a 2,500-mile voyage across the pacific, aged 31. The traditional canoe that he and his crew members had sailed in capsized and Aikau tried to swim to a neighbouring island to get help. While the crew aboard the canoe were later spotted by a passing plane and rescued, Aikau was never seen again.