ABOUT

ABOUT THE ANDY IRONS FOUNDATION

Started in 2011 after the untimely passing of three-time world champion surfer Andy Irons, the Andy Irons Foundation exists to help provide the support network that doesn’t exist for so many of our youth. By focusing on impactful, community-based programs that address debilitating conditions like mental illness, addiction and learning disabilities, we strive to create a world where no child struggles alone. The Andy Irons Foundation is a fiscally sponsored project of Community Initiatives. For more, visit their website.

ABOUT ANDY IRONS

If there were anyone destined for surfing greatness, it was Phillip Andrew “Andy” Irons. Born in July 24, 1978 to a former competitive skier mother and surfer/carpenter father and in Lihue, Kauai, he had all the geographical and genetic advantages that breed unrivaled natural talent in the ocean. Add a gifted younger brother nipping at his heels since Day One, coupled with an insatiable competitive drive, and you had all the ingredients for a future world surfing champion.

Irons’ rise up the surfing ranks was fierce and swift, dominating all the requisite amateur milestones through the mid ’90s before embarking on the professional world tour in 1997. After winning events in both Tahiti and Huntington beach, it was clear a new breed of surfer was there to challenge the establishment – namely, then six-time world champ Kelly Slater and the “Momentum Generation.”

As journalist Nick Carroll wrote, “He has the miraculous combination of big-wave craziness and small-wave ripping down better than any surfer in the world. It's a horrifying skill range.”

Irons met his destiny in 2002, clinching his first world title at Sunset Beach in dominant fashion. This sparked inarguably the greatest surfing rivalry of all time, as Irons went head-to-head with Slater and came out on top three years in a row. As surf historian Matt Warshaw noted, “Andy Irons was the only worthy rival to the greatest surfer who’s ever set foot on a board.”

That rivalry continued on through the mid-2000s as the two surfers exchanged unforgettable triumphs and defeats to the surf world’s glee. But behind the scenes, Irons —who always lived and surfed on raw, unbridled emotion — began to fatigue. Running white hot for so many years took its toll on his body and mind, and some of his latent battles with addiction and mental illness began to manifest.

The one bright spot during this time was his marriage to longtime girlfriend Lyndie Dupuis. In a whirlwind world of long flights, hotel rooms and high expectations, she was the foundation who loved him unconditionally and kept him focused on the long-term goals of a life post-career in Kauai with his wife and family.

Those were still his goals when Irons passed way too soon in 2010, en route back to Kauai after withdrawing from a world tour event in Puerto Rico. The lead-up and aftermath to this tragic story is recounted in Andy Irons: Kissed by God, as the family is now sharing their story so they can help others in Andy’s name.

The Andy Irons Foundation exists to help others with some of the personal challenges Andy never addressed himself.