Big Monday, the celebration

01/03/2024

On 27 February this year, Hookipa on the island of Maui in Hawaii celebrated a legendary moment in the history of windsurfing, Big Monday, which was celebrating its 40th anniversary. 27 February 1984 was a memorable day that marked an entire era, with intrepid windsurfers taking on massive waves in exceptional conditions. Big Monday laid the foundations for the exploration of windsurfing in big waves, long before Jaws stole the show many years later. Mickey Eskimo, the man behind this celebration, has managed to bring together 8 of the brave riders who ventured to Hookipa 4 decades ago.
At the time, a high swell advisery was issued in the Hawaiian archipelago, particularly on the island of Maui. Staying with Arnaud and Jenna de Rosnay at the time, Frenchman Erik Thiémé was among the first to take on the XXL conditions in the company of Alex Aguera and Malte Simmer, with 15-metre waves on the programme and, above all, a 5 metre bar to pass!
Later in the afternoon, Fred Haywood also tried his luck with this mythical photo immortalised by Arnaud de Rosnay, a photo that went around the world and even appeared in Life, the famous American magazine known for its strong emphasis on photojournalism!
To commemorate this highly symbolic moment in the sport's history, Dave Ezzy Malte Simmer, Fred Haywood, Mickey Eskimo, Craig Maisonville, Hidemi Furuya, Alex Aguera and Brian Carlstrom met up on Hookipa beach, 40 years later to the day...
The Big Monday remains a symbol of the courage and daring of the windsurfing pioneers, marking a turning point in the history of the sport. And for many of the courageous people on the water on 27 February 1984, this session will go down as the one during which they were most scared of windsurfing in their lives!

 

Source: Alex Aguera
Photo: Arnaud de Rosnay

tags: Big Monday Hookipa Dave Ezzy Malte Simmer Fred Haywood Mickey Eskimo Craig Maisonville Hidemi Furuya Alex Aguera Brian Carlstrom

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