Revisit Andy Irons’ Greatness the Day After His 44th Birthday

Yesterday, July 24, Andy Irons would have turned 44 years old. To celebrate, let's revisit one of his all-time great surf sections.

In the clip above, from 2003's "Campaign", Irons obliterates the Mentawais during a boat trip.

This section is 20-year-old. Let that sink in for a moment.

Irons' surfing — especially his over vert backhand attack — was so far ahead of the times in 2003, that it's literally still relevant right now. Think about it: How many surfers on the CT today are attacking the lip backside that way Irons was in this edit? The Top 5? Maybe less?

"The most amazing thing about Andy Irons surfing was the way he man-handled big, hollow waves of consequence, as though he were surfing 3-foot beachbreak," says the YouTube description from the Momentum Files, where this part was released. "This section is an epic example of that. The way he smashes an over-rotated backside hack off the top and freefalls two stories back to his bottom turn like it was nothing... it's something we'll never forget. Power surfing, defined."

Click play above for a reminder of Irons' greatness. Can you just imagine the surfing he'd be doing today?

AI Forever.

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