George Downing pays attention to natural indicators to interpret what’s going on with the surf as much as today’s most advanced prognosticators rely on storm tracking and buoy reports. The venerable contest director of the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational noted that the delayed arrival of December’s big waves was reflected in the late bloom of the mangos. Now, almost February of 2005, Downing noticed the mango trees in his yard were finally blossoming.

A magnificent December 14th sunset was enough of an affirmation of that intangible “something special” for Downing to give the big-wave event a green light, as a solid 25- to 30-foot swell approached Oahu.

The next day, North Shore residents awoke to salty mist, the air charged with excitement about monstrous surf that pushed back the vegetation line. It was the morning of the Eddie, and for surfers, it’s an extraordinary holiday. People camped in their cars overnight. A section of Kamehameha Highway in Haleiwa was closed thanks to waves that had washed up across the road, but that didn’t stop the mass pilgrimage to Waimea Bay. People parked at Laniakea, almost two miles away. They arrived on foot, by bicycle, by skateboard, by Razor scooter. The traffic snarled. Some said that it took two hours to get from Sunset to Haleiwa. Helicopters buzzed overhead. And with glassy conditions and glorious weather, the Eddie went.

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