HONOLULU (KHON2) -- The Eddie Big Wave Invitational is on! Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You The contest started at 9 a.m. with Liam McNamara, the event director, telling KHON2 the peak would come in around 10 a.m. to noon and he felt they were going to see 50-footers. The elements needed to green-light the contest are wave heights, The Eddie requires consistent 40-foot surf, minimum; and the swell needs to arrive by 8 a.m. Conditions and direction of the swell are also factors. Conditions prime for the ‘Eddie’ to go this Sunday Each heat included two wahine. The updated heat list, as of 10:20 a.m., is below: HPD advised early Sunday morning that there was "significant traffic" in Waimea Bay and the surrounding areas for The Eddie. Parking at Waimea Valley was full before 7 a.m. with some spectators leaving their homes as early as 1 a.m. to get front-row seats. So many spectators showed up that Kamehameha Highway had to shut down. At 9 a.m., the contest began with waves starting to fill in. Luke Sheperdson started the first heat with one of the best waves. "I saw where I was, close to my mark but I was a little inside of where I usually like to sit and I saw it and was like okay well they're in the shop, and if they can get into it there, it's theirs but I'd be here to back them up and if not, I got blessed with an insane wave so I'm stoked," Shepedson said. Some surfers were brought in with injuries as several 50-foot face-value waves started rolling in. Ocean Safety was kept busy with waves so large it was stalling a rescue craft. According to Honolulu Emergency Medical Services, resources were deployed as early as 2 a.m., sending three ambulances, one rapid response SUV and a Honolulu EMS department command truck. By 4:15 p.m., EMS said they responded to 20 calls at the event and one patient was transported to an area hospital in serious condition with a leg injury. The afternoon waves were a consistent 20-plus feet. "I would say it's on the higher end of all The Eddies we had. Guys are almost getting in the barrel out here at 20-feet barrels, so that tells you that it's good waves," said Clyde Aikau, contest director. Find more Hawaii, Oahu, Maui and Kauai news here Did you miss it? Catch the full live stream on KHON2's YouTube channel.