HALEIWA, Hawaii (KHON2) — The 2024 Rip Curl Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational winner Landon McNamara spoke exclusively with KHON2 about the adversity he overcame this past year and how he was able to win the most prestigious event in surfing.
For the people who know 28-year-old McNamara, his Eddie win last week is more of an inspirational story than some might think.
“From last January to this January, I made some monumental changes in my personal life that I directly credit to this all happening,” McNamara said. “Being able to stand by who I am and How I’m living versus how I was living last year. To me, everyone has their cross to bear in this life, and I had certain ones I needed to cross myself, and being able to conquer those things led me to be able to conquer this win.”
Landon started the year behind bars for criminal property damage. He had been following a path of addiction other surf legends have also tried to navigate through.
McNamara said he knew he could make it to the top, he said he just had to make the changes to make it happen. So he made those monumental changes in early 2024.
“I’m proud, very proud, very taken back and very grateful, but I think I’m still processing all of it,” he added.
He said he was inspired by the legacy his dad and uncle built for him while he was growing up.
“They have created this legacy for me that if they were to die tomorrow, I still can reap the fruits of what they built for me, and I had a very sobering realization that I wanted to do the same for my son,” McNamara said. “And I wanted to build something for him, like my parents and my uncle and my family built for me, and I was able to do that. And that’s one of the most special things from all of this, is that my son, for the rest of his days, will be able to be proud of something that his dad did.”
“And I had a very sobering realization that I wanted to do the same for my son. That’s one of the most special things from all of this, is that my son, for the rest of his days, will be able to be proud of something that his dad did.”
He was also inspired by his best friend, former Eddie winner Luke Shepardson.
McNamara’s brother posted about them saying ‘underground to the crown.’
“To me, growing up on the North Shore, me and my friend group, all of us have amazing talent and amazing drive and it felt like none of us were recognized in the way we felt that we should have been,” McNamara explained. “I grew up with the awesome family and other essentials that I needed to have an amazing life, but that being said, growing up on the North Shore, you see everyone come in and they’re making careers and making millions and kind of having, having all of the glitz and glamor and recognition, and for us, we just wanted a piece of that.”
“Luke winning last year, and then me winning this year is a testament to the fact of why the Eddie contest is so amazing because it gives people like us an opportunity to have a life-changing moment that otherwise we might not have,” McNamara said. “I’ll be part of the underground forever because I’m rooted in that, and I love my community and I just want to be able to give everybody the opportunity they deserve like I got.”
He said the win involves more people than just himself. “It’s been a wild ride along the way to get here, some friends didn’t even make it, so this is for all of us. When one of us wins, all of us win,” he continued.
Landon’s father, Liam McNamara, said he’s never been more proud of his son. “If we go back a year, we’ve always known my son had it in him, it was a matter of him just really grasping that like he’s got to really focus on his goals, focus on what he wants to achieve and put 110% into it, and that’s what he did for the last year.”
Landon hopes his story of overcoming adversity in just a year can help inspire others. “What makes me feel good is being able to help other people and that’s the coolest thing about coming to a point where you have maybe some more recognition and a little more influence is that you’re able to do more powerful things in a sense, because there’s a lot more people willing to listen.”
The day after winning the Eddie contest, Landon was told he had a warrant for his arrest for criminal property damage from a case exactly one year ago.
Landon turned himself in on Christmas Eve and he was released after posting bail.
Because it’s an active case, he won’t comment on it, but those closest to him know this is a small setback and his future is still bright.
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“At this moment in time, life couldn’t be better when it comes to him as my son, and I’m not talking about him just winning the Eddie, I’m talking about who he is as my son and when I see him with his son,” Liam McNamara said. “He’s being the best father he can be, the best son he can be and like he said, he’s there for the community and he’s here to spread the love and joy in the message of what you can do if you put your mind to it.”
“Underground to the crown, just like his music and songs like Deep Water, there’s lyrics there that can be something to help people achieve their dreams,” Liam concluded.