An estimated 40,000 to 50,000 onlookers will pour into Waimea Bay on Sunday when surf conditions will dictate whether the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational will happen.
There will be gridlock, virtually no parking and thousands of people walking along Kamehameha Highway.
So fans of “The Eddie” should watch at home on their computers or televisions, said Kurt Lager, acting director of ocean safety.
It’s scheduled to be broadcast live on KHII and streamed on Rogue.TV and Rip Curl’s YouTube channel.
Television coverage is scheduled to run from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
City officials said Sunday is not the day for people uninterested in “The Eddie” to drive to the North Shore.
Mayor Rick Blangiardi called the event “the Super Bowl of surfing competitions.”
He urged drivers and and visitors to Waimea Bay to “help us make it a world-class event.”
Jim Ireland, director of the Honolulu Emergency Services Department, said, “Our priority is safety.”
Ambulances will be stationed at Waimea Bay, and another at Sunset Beach.
But they need to be able to drive along the North Shore, Ireland said.
In 2023 a 10-year-old fell out of a tree while watching “The Eddie,” several senior citizens passed out, a woman broke her leg when a wave sent a barricade crashing into her, and a family of visitors were injured when a rogue wave swept them into a house, Ireland said.
With wave faces expected to exceed 30 feet, Lager said that surf going inland and potentially washing away bystanders “could be unprecedented.”
Barriers will be set up along Kamehameha Highway restricting parking to allow for emergency vehicles.
Waimea Bay Beach Park’s parking lot will be closed starting at 10 tonight and reserved for staff, the 45 surf contestants and official vehicles.
The competitors include four current and former lifeguards, including 2023’s winner, Luke Shepardson, who followed his victory by working his North Shore lifeguard shift.
Parking also will be banned on both sides of Kamehameha Highway starting at 10 tonight from Iliohu Place to the Mission of Sts. Peter & Paul Church until “The Eddie” ends.
Barriers will go up along the shoulders of Kamehameha Highway to prevent parking, and Honolulu police officers will enforce parking restrictions.
Vehicles in restricted areas can be cited or towed, the city said.
Limited parking will be available at Waimea Valley at a cost of $50 for the front lots and $30 for the rear lots beginning at 4 a.m. Sunday.
Vehicles will not be allowed to line up outside the gates before the gates open.
Inside Waimea Valley, bathrooms and food and drink concessions are scheduled to open at the visitor center at 4 a.m. Sunday.
TheBus system will add four early-morning buses for its Route 52 from Honolulu to the North Shore.
Inside Waimea Bay Beach Park, the city said, park rules include bans on alcohol, smoking, large canopies, drones or fully enclosed tents.
There is no food concession, so “Eddie” fans should bring everything they need for the day, including food, sun protection and water.
Showers, bathrooms and water fountains will be available.
Internet and cellphone use could be unreliable or nonexistent with likely tens of thousands of people using cellphone and internet services at the same time, according to the city.