Uncle George…

Painting by Letty Nowak.

Living legend George Downing will be inducted into the Hawai’i Sports Hall of Fame tonight. He is the contest director of the Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, and makes the call if Waimea Bay is big enough for the event. “The Bay calls the Day” is one of his iconic sayings. Downing is also the father of waterman and 1990 Eddie Aikau Champ, Keone Downing. George paved the way for big wave surfers in numerous ways. Not only was he a regular at Waimea Bay before leashes and lifeguards, George was also a pioneer through his documentation of swell directions, mapping out the reefs and bringing a scientific approach to surf forecasting. Congratulations, Uncle! He will be inducted into the Hall of Fame alongside the late-Andy Irons and Samuel Alapaki Kahanamoku.