The "Eddie" will have to wait yet another year.

The holding period for the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau came to an official close last week.

For the third consecutive year, waves at Waimea Bay did not reach the required heights during the three-month holding period.

The prestigious contest can run only on a day when waves are at least 20 feet by traditional measurements (which translates to 40-foot wave-faces).

"Of course, we would love to have had the contest this year," contest director George Downing said. "But the one thing we'll never do is compromise the standards we have set. It's that 20-foot-plus standard that sets Waimea apart from other big-wave venues and that made the place special to Eddie."

Because of the event's strict standards, it has been completed just seven times since it was created in 1986.

The last time it was completed was during the 2004-05 season, when Kaua'i's Bruce Irons won it.

The contest was created to honor Eddie Aikau, a former big-wave surfer and lifeguard at Waimea Bay who was lost at sea during a rescue attempt for the voyaging canoe Hokule'a in 1978.

The holding period for the next "Eddie" contest will begin on Dec. 1.

ANOTHER BIG-WAVE EVENT STILL WAITING

The North Shore Tow-In Surf Championship is still waiting for big waves so it can run this month.

Contest officials want to run on a day when wave-face heights are in the 50-foot range off O'ahu's North Shore. It can run anywhere from Hale'iwa to 'Ehukai Beach, depending on conditions.

The event is for tow-in surfing, which involves the use of a personal watercraft to help get into the waves. In the Eddie Aikau contest, surfers have to paddle into the waves on their own.

The team of Makua Rothman and Ikaika Kalama won last year's event.

Contest officials have until March 31 to run this year's event, otherwise it will try again next season.