The spirit of Eddie Aikau could be found at Waimea Bay long before the explosion of the World Wide Web and cell phones.

Yesterday, thanks in part to the Internet and cell phones, the spirit of Eddie Aikau was on display before thousands at Waimea Bay — and millions around the world.

The Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau big-wave surfing contest ran yesterday for the first time since 2004.

"It never entered my mind that it would get this much support," contest director George Downing said. "When we brought this contest here, we did it for Eddie. Nothing else. All this other stuff, that's a bonus. But maybe that's how strong the spirit of Eddie is. Look at all the people here."

Internet reports and cell phone text messages about the running of the contest started last week. As a result, thousands were at Waimea Bay before sunrise yesterday, awaiting the start of the event.

Contest officials estimated the crowd at 20,000 to 25,000 at midday. A live webcast of the contest got more than 1 million hits on quiksilver .com.

"Chicken skin," said Clyde Aikau, Eddie's younger brother and one of the surfers in the event. "That's the only way to describe it. It's been over 30 years since we lost Eddie, but his spirit is so strong here. You can feel it, not just with the surfers but the spectators."

LOST AT SEA

The contest was created in 1984 to honor Eddie Aikau, the first lifeguard at Waimea Bay. He was lost at sea in 1978 while attempting a solo rescue mission for the capsized voyaging canoe Hokule'a.

Eddie was regarded as one of the best big-wave surfers at Waimea Bay. To capture his prowess, the contest rules state that it can run only on a day when wave-face heights are consistently reaching 40 feet.

Yesterday, it ran for only the eighth time in 25 years.

California's Greg Long won the contest in wave-face heights that ranged from 35 to 50 feet throughout the day.

Long grew up in San Clemente, and was 1 when the first Eddie Aikau contest ran in 1984, but he is fully aware of the event's spirit.

"You're just out there to sort of share these waves in the name and honor of Eddie," Long said. "The whole spirit of this event is something that is surreal."

Only 28 big-wave surfers from around the world are invited to participate each year.

Japan's Takayuki Wakita participated in his first Eddie Aikau contest yesterday, and was nearly in tears after completing his heats.

"I don't care what place I get," said Wakita, who placed 20th. "This is the biggest accomplishment of my life. I cannot believe I am even here."

ONE OF A KIND

When Clyde Aikau won the Eddie Aikau contest in 1987, there were maybe 10,000 spectators on the beach and no cell phones to pass on instant information after his victory.

But over the years, the allure of the contest has created a cult-like following. The years that the contest did not run had as much to do with it as the years that it did run.

"I think people really anticipated this one because we haven't run it in so long," Downing said.

The surfers even treat it with a reverence that no other contest receives.

As Kaua'i's Bruce Irons, who won it in 2004, said: "To this day, I cannot believe I won that last one, let alone being a part of it. Growing up in Hawai'i, you look up so much to this contest."

The contest's motto — "Eddie Would Go" — has also become internationally known through bumper stickers, posters and T-shirts.

As yesterday proved, the contest has also helped educate the masses on the significance of Eddie Aikau in Hawaiian culture.

"If people came here not knowing about Eddie and what he means to so many people here, they know now," Downing said. "And that's the main thing we wanted to achieve when we started this contest."