The Day Irons Crossed Over Into the Land of the Legends

“It was some of the sickest surfing I’ve ever seen in big waves. He absolutely went ballistic. It was pretty ridiculous.”

--Cory Lopez on Andy Irons’ performance during the trials of the Gotcha Pro in Tahiti in May

It was a day that made the Banzai Pipeline look like a beginners’ wave. Twelve-foot waves, with sections nearly as thick as the waves were tall, were slamming onto a shallow reef at Teahupoo in Tahiti. Tucked deep in these spinning barrels of liquid turquoise was Hawaiian Andy Irons, defying death and wowing the most discriminating of audiences, the best surfers in the world.

Pictures of Irons’ incredible tube-riding--including one of when he invented the Iron Cross, arms outstretched to touch the face of the wave with his left hand and the breaking section with his right--have reached the surf magazines and propelled Irons to instant icon status.

“It’s hard to describe the rush of adrenaline,” Irons said after he beat Australian Taj Burrow Thursday to advance to today’s third round of the Bluetorch Pro in Huntington Beach. “When you pull out, your heart is beating so fast it feels like it might pop.”

Was he having the time of his life?

“I certainly wouldn’t describe it as fun,” he said. “Exciting, for sure.”

Irons, who finished 34th in the World Championship Tour rankings in 1999, has long been known as one of the Assn. of Surfing Professionals’ most talented athletes and best big-wave riders, if not one of the tour’s most consistent performers.

And when he calmly reached out and touched both sides of that huge Teahupoo barrel that was threatening to crush him into the razor-sharp coral reef a couple of feet below the surface, he carved out a niche for himself in surfing lore.

“I was just feeling it,” he said. “I wanted to touch it. Those were the most powerful waves I’ve ever seen.”

A HEAVY QUIVER

Thursday, Irons showed he can rip a beach break as well. He made as much of the inconsistent swell as anyone bouncing in the bump on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier. His three scoring waves were 7.75, 7.75 and 7.50, plenty enough to bury Burrow, who is ranked No. 7 in the world.

Irons gave partial credit to his surfboard, shaped by Eric Arkawa of Hawaii.

But it’s not like this one is a special favorite. Irons brought 12 boards with him to Huntington Beach, where conditions can vary from small mush to big walls.

“It’s a little bit of chaos in my room, but it’s hard to know which board will work on any given day here,” he said. “I took three out this morning before my heat to see which one would work the best.”

He certainly drew the right arrow from the quiver this time.

NO CHOKE FOR JOCA

Brazil’s Joca Junior, who earned a wild-card entry into this week’s event, upset defending world champion Mark Occhilupo in the second round Thursday, edging the 34-year-old Australian, 18 to 17.5, after trailing throughout most of the 25-minute heat.

“This is the first time I’ve ever surfed against Occy in a man-on-man heat,” Junior said. “I’m so happy. This is unreal for me.”

Junior earned a 6.5 for his final wave to slide ahead of Occhilupo.

“I had priority and I just wanted to make a good choice [of waves],” he said. “I waited and was lucky to get the best wave of the heat.”

BAD SHRIMP ON THE BARBIE?

Australian Toby Martin, ranked No. 43 in the world, was overjoyed to have slipped past countryman Jake Peterson, who is No. 4. But he’s also just happy to be alive. His appendix burst three weeks ago, a day after he returned from a surfing trip in a remote part of Indonesia.

“At first I just thought I’d eaten some funny food,” he said, showing off an ugly scar. “After the operation, I told the doctor that I’d be back surfing competitively in three weeks and he laughed at me.

“That [angered] me a lot, so I credit him with helping me get back so quickly.”

STOKING THE FIRE

A lot of the competitors are bemoaning the lack of good waves this week, but Hawaiian Ross Williams, who beat Australia’s Luke Hitchings, was the first to say he wished the conditions were better for the spectators.

“You just hope that the waves are good enough that you can perform, pull off a few airs and really stoke out all the kids,” he said. “That’s the thing I love most about surfing here.

“I remember growing up in Hawaii and watching [three-time world champion] Tom Curren. We’d watch every move he made. We’d watch how he walked and how he paddled and he’d always give us a wink.

“I love to see all the kids here, to have them come up to you after you come out of the water and gather all around. I always give a thumbs-up. You want the cycle to keep going.”