The Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational is recognized as the world’s most prestigious surfing event. While every year, the Eddie makes it to the headlines for its incredible surfing prompts, this year the Hawaiian event was remarkable for a myriad of reasons. The event was first applauded globally for its incredible theme where female surfers competed alongside men. In another twist, this year’s Aikau trophy was won by a Honolulu-based lifeguard. The recent reason why the Eddie has made a splash in the surfing community, is American surfer Peter Mel’s style statement.
While every other surfer was chasing the waves at Waimea beach in Hawaii, Peter Mel was giving away some serious fashion goals while simultaneously paddling toward the waves. Now obviously, Mel’s iconic looks didn’t go unnoticed by fans.
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Peter Mel’s surfing gloves stole the show at the Eddie
Paddling gloves and surfing gear were all he need to make heads turn his way. The American big wave surfer, Shane Dorian took to his Instagram to share a video of himself surfing at the Waimea beach. However, the video also captured Peter Mel, who was surfing alongside Dorian. Now, James Slade, a surfing fanatic took a still from the video and posted it on Reddit with the caption, “Did Peter Mel surf with webbed gloves at the Eddie?”
To express their appreciation for Mel’s fashion sense, several fans flocked to the comment section and wrote:
“Idgaf if you wear a helmet, visor, sunglasses, zinced up nose, curly leash, whatever, if you can surf those bombs you get a pass”
“If he did, then webbed gloves are officially cool bc Pete is a legend”. Conceding with this comment, one fan shared, “agree + life jacket”
“They irritate my face when wiping water from my eyes, otherwise they were pretty awesome”
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Moreover, some fans even recalled Mel’s Mavericks surf where he, once again, wore paddling gloves.
“He had them on at Mavs when he surfed that huge barrel last year…. 2 years ago?”
“He was wearing them when he caught THAT bomb at Maverick’s as well. Part of his style kook”
However, one fan shared the disadvantage of the gloves by penning, “Dislocated my shoulder doing an armbar stall on some thick waves wearing them. I think the glove had something to do with it”.
While some fans find Mel’s style fascinating, some found a loophole in the gloves. What do you think about the surfer’s unique vogue?
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