Andy Irons

📍Hanalei, HI 96714, USA

“I was born Philip Andrew Irons in Lihue, Kauai, in July 1978, and grew up in Hanalei, on the island's lush north shore, a small town of taro fields, green mountains with waterfalls and a wide, crescent-shaped bay with some of the best waves in Hawaii. My father, Phil, was a surfer, and my younger brother Bruce and I were surfing almost as soon as we could walk. Bruce and I surfed together every day on the shallow, powerful reefs of Kauai's north shore, and in the waves of Hanalei Bay, where the local kids learned to charge. We were best friends and fierce rivals, always trying to outdo each other, and that rivalry made us both better. I was intense and competitive, and I hated to lose, at anything. Kauai's waves were dangerous, breaking over sharp reef, and they made us fearless. As teenagers we were spotted by a local surfboard company and flown to the North Shore of Oahu, where we surfed Pipeline and the big waves, and I began to make my name. I turned professional, and in 2002, 2003 and 2004 I won three world titles in a row, battling Kelly Slater in one of the greatest rivalries in surfing. People knew me for my power in big, hollow waves, especially at Pipeline and Teahupo'o, and for my fiery spirit. I struggled with my health, but I always came home to Kauai. Hanalei remembers me, and the Andy Irons Foundation supports young people with mental health and addiction, so that kids from places like Hanalei get the help they need.”

Sources: pbs.org Wikipedia: Andy Irons