Remembering Andy Irons

On November 2nd, 2010, the surfing world was forced into a collective state of shock. Philip Andrew Irons, the pride of Kauai, and a living legend, gone at the age of 32. I think Andy's upbringing, Kauai, you know, Honole, it's a simple place. It was beyond the perfect playground to hone his skills. He was able to surf these incredible reef breaks, and also that little competitive zone down at Pine Trees, just trying to compete within that sort of community. When he was 16, he won the H-Pack. And, you know, it was 10 feet pipe, and that was unheard of, and he won it. And then he won it, he'd win everything. The first time I watched that movie, Raw Irons, when I was like, probably 13, or right at the age where you're just so psyched on surfing, and yeah, just everything about that guy's surfing, I loved. He was one of my favorite surfers. He just drew different lines than most conventional, and he did it with flair and style and power. I thought he certainly had the talent and the ability to be able to beat anyone in the world. When the World Tour became the Dream Tour, it was absolutely custom-made for him, you know, Tavarua, Chopu. He kicked and scratched his way, all the way, from here to here, and it was... Since day one, when I met him, we started competing against each other, and it was just like a rivalry, instantly. One of the only reasons I watched his CT contest, because Andy was in it, you know? Otherwise, I probably would have never watched him. Him and Slayer, like, they just took it to another level. And, you know, Andy came out on top three years in a row, and just really took it to him. He was the only guy that's ever rivaled Kelly Slater. That year, out at Pipeline, where they battled for the world title and the Pipe Masters crown, was the single best heat in all of surfing history, I think. He's always been one of my favorite surfers, and he's pushed me as much as Tom Curran has, you know? He set the pace of what surfing finally came around to, you know, embrace. While wearing a competition jersey, Andy took no prisoners. 19 tour victories, four triple crowns, four Pipe Masters, three world championships. But it is the ferocity of his free surfing, from two feet to 25 feet, that will remain burned in our brains. Just tube riding, his lines, his style, everything was totally different. You couldn't predict what he was going to do on a wave. And that's what blew everybody away. A lot of the surfers to me seem like they can do one thing and put it really good, you know, and that's kind of their deal. He mixed it up and made it one big package, you know? It didn't matter if it was one foot or a hundred foot, he would try and surf the wave exactly the same, and just, he just attacked it. How do you explain Andy, you know? I mean, he surfed like a cat on acid. What I miss most about Andy? That's a hard question. Everything. I miss everything about him. The good, the bad, the ugly. Even now, it's like, he's not here, but it still feels like he's here. It's baffling. Really baffling. He was one of my best mates. He just, you know, was always there to surf with. Funny stories. My years on tour would have been boring without him there. If you were Andy Iron's competitor, you yelled a lot. If you were Andy Iron's friend, you laughed a lot. If you needed something, anything, if he had it to give it to you, right down to the shirt off his back, he'd do so. You see, no matter the glory, the fame, the riches, Andy Iron's never forgot where he came from. It's why we will never forget him. Andy Iron's loves surfing. In 32 years, what most people would take, 132. I'll always remember him as kind of an older brother, a mentor, and one of my really good friends. He was awesome, man. Andy was my best friend and just always had my back and was just a loving, caring man. He was never big-headed about what he achieved or what he did. You know, he always hung out with the boys and never thought he was better than anybody. Every time I close my eyes and go to think about him, I just see him with that huge smile and those bear hugs where he nearly choked the life out of me every time. He's going to be forever young now in our minds, so we're going to miss him heaps. He was a very caring person and when you're close with Andy, you know, you would always be close with him for the rest of your life. Now he's at ease and I know he's happy looking down upon all of us. Knowing that I'm going to be the father of this child. I know he's stoked knowing that I'm going to be the dad. I love you, Andy.