HALEIWA, Hawaii (KHON2) -- North Shore native and iTunes chart-topping singer Landon McNamara won the 2024-2025 Rip Curl Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational. Get Hawaii's latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You The 28-year-old had a perfect ride during the contest and said it is hands down his favorite wave of his life. "Probably forever this 50-point ride I got in this year's event will be my favorite wave because it sealed my fate as the winner," McNamara said on Monday afternoon. Landon McNamara wins The Eddie McNamara said he's always preferred challenging himself in big waves and barrels more than competitive surfing and being on the surf tour. "I feel like I've made my mark in the history of surfing out here, and it's a really gratifying, special feeling. I'm proud of myself, I said it a lot yesterday, like the little kid in me from the north shore is like so proud," he said. McNamara called the win life-changing. "Just to be an Eddie Aikau winner itself, take everything else away, personally, that's something I could die happy with," he added.McNamara said he celebrated Sunday night eating dinner with his closest friends and family. He thanked his dad, Liam McNamara, and Uncle Garrett for paving the way for him and his brother and he wants to do the same for his son. McNamara took home $50,000 and 350,000 Hawaiian miles.  "It's funny because just the day before the contest, my son was telling me, 'I want to go on an airplane, let's go travel somewhere,' he loves, loves traveling. So I told him, once I get a little more money, we can. And then the next day it happened, so definitely want to go on a family trip somewhere soon." Find more Hawaii, Oahu, Maui and Kauai news here During his speech at the award ceremony, he said he felt Eddie Aikau was guiding him throughout the day. "I'm grateful for Eddie, in both my heats I had a turtle I was following, and to me that was Eddie and they say Eddie picks the winner, and I'm just so grateful he picked me."