First-Time Eddie Invitee Got Warmup Reps at Pumping Jaws

Annie Reickert was 18 years old when she surfed in her first Jaws contest in 2019. This was the same cranking, upheaving swell that left Albee Layer concussed. Bill Kemper went ballistic. Twiggy packed one of the largest barrels ever attempted. But with rising swell and persistent wind, it was as daunting a paddle day at Peahi as you’ll find. 

In the biggest waves she’d ever seen, Annie dealt with the adrenaline, took her lickings, and finished third overall behind Paige Alms and Felicity Palmateer. “It lit my fire more than ever before,” Annie said. “It was like, I know I’m really young, but this is what I want to do. I love that feeling and I want to chase that.”

It’s no secret that Maui’s windswept shores produce individuals adept at maneuvering through the ocean in a variety of methods. For those looking to enjoy waves and wind in a tropical locale, it’s the ultimate playground. And 24-year-old Annie is one of those people who seems to always be doing something interesting in the water — surfing waves from fun to XXL size, downwind foiling, crossing between islands and launching 10-foot airs on her wing + foil.

Born and raised on Maui, Annie was riding on the nose of her father’s surfboard by age 2. She’s a product of Ian Walsh's Menehune Mayhem contests. By the time she entered her teens, she had already experienced the outer reefs and gotten backing for surf standup paddleboard competitions. 

“When I was little by I was sponsored by Naish, so I knew (windsurfing legend) Robby Naish,” she said. “Dave Kalama used to take me surfing and standup paddleboarding. I was old enough to know who they were but too young to know what they’d done for the water sports world. Now, I’m like, wow, they’re the OGs and they helped inform what I love to do.”

But unrelatable as her airborne sensations might be, Annie’s appreciation for the ocean is palpable and timeless. It’s a place of rejuvenation, a break from everyday life. Regardless of the medium, she wants to be connected with the water. 

“Whenever I’m in the water, I feel good,” she said. “Usually, when stuff gets crazy on land, I can go in the ocean and it melts away. It can be a form of meditation, or it can be just about being active in a crazy environment. I dealt with an injury a few years ago that was my biggest struggle, not being able to get in the ocean. So I’ll definitely never take it for granted. Even if I wasn’t doing this for a career, I still want to spend as much time as possible in the water. It’s who I am.”

If absence makes the heart grow fonder, Annie’s shoulder surgery reminded her how special the outdoors are to her. “It made me never take being in the ocean or running without pain for granted ever again,” she said. “And I’ve thought about this more lately, it also made me realize that comparison truly is the thief of joy. I compare myself to other people, of course, but what I did for so long when I was recovering was compare myself to past Annie. I’d think, ‘You’re never going to get back to how you felt before or did the same stuff.’ I convinced myself I’d never get back to feeling 100%. So it took a mentality change to accept things might be different than how they used to be, and you might not be the same person, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You’re not a worse version or athlete, just different.”

It took a while, but Annie is back in full swing. Last December, she surfed in her first Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational and finished as the highest-ranked woman competitor (29th overall). She had a great lead-up to the contest thanks to a consistent run of swell and sublime conditions at Jaws. One of her waves was this west bowl roll-in (that she got next to her boyfriend Albee Layer) that landed her an entry into the 2025 Big Wave Challenge (see the video above and the still below).

"I think that morning they called the Eddie on for Sunday," she said. "I was definitely buzzing."

When I spoke with Annie last week, she was prepping for one of her favorite days of the year, an 8-mile downwind hydrofoil race on Maui's north coast that serves as a benefit for special needs children. This weekend, she won her division. I'm not sure where she is today, but somewhere in the ocean is a safe bet.

Related: Big-Wave Surfers Go On a 5-Day Jaws Bender (Gallery)

First-Time Eddie Invitee Got Warmup Reps at Pumping Jaws first appeared on Surfer on Jul 14, 2025