By Mike Latronic – After a heated fist fight with his older brother, Bruce Irons turned his burning desire to best Andy into what he describes as one of the greatest moments of his life. The sibling rivalry was real but so was the love for surfing and each other.
“When I first got invited I was probably about 20. I was invited before my brother, so I was like, yeah! It’s a real honor. I was stoked to tell you the truth. I didn’t ever consider myself a big wave surfer but to be invited was the honor but I was like damn I don’t want to make a fool of myself.
I had that Brock Little poster in our room our whole childhood and looked at that thing every single day. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I was going to be invited, let alone to win
the thing.
I remember at the opening ceremony looking at that surfboard trophy and I was just like, wow, that thing’s amazing. I didn’t think I would ever have that trophy.
Waimea Bay is very powerful and having Eddie be the lifeguard there and the Aikau family, it holds this energy there that’s crazy. Being a part of that circle and the ceremony and paddling out there and looking in at the valley, you just feel this powerful warrior energy. It’s like, I get chicken skin just talking about and thinking about it.
I want to say the biggest reason I won that thing is because my brother and I got in a real heavy duty fist fight the day before. If you look back I have a black eye, and so does my brother. And that was what fueled me into that event – rage and anger.
When the event was gonna go down, I called Kala,(Alexander) ’cause like, that’s my guy, like, we’re going, it’s on. I’m pissed and I’m so boom I’m already set with Kala. Me and Kala went out there (to Waimea before the event) and I got some of the best, biggest waves of my life. At that moment before the event I broke my board and I’m like damn. What am I going to do? The traffic’s nuts and Eddie Rothman comes flying through the traffic on a moped from his house (at Sunset) with this huge yellow Dick Brewer. If it wasn’t for that board I definitely wouldn’t have been able to catch these waves. When I jumped on that board for the first time I remember hitting the water and just gliding so far without even touching the water. I’m like, oh, yeah I got this thing. I was like this (board) could get the biggest waves possible out there.
My brother’s heat is before me. This is his first time doing the Eddie and my first time. He’s already a World Champion. He’s won everything – Triple Crowns and I was so mad at him because of this fight. Now in the heat before mine, I’m watching him catch the biggest wave of his life which is putting him right up there in the lead and I’m just screaming at the top of my lungs like he’s not gonna win this event you know! He’s won everything! Not this one! No he’s not doing this, giving me a black eye and winning this on top of it! No way! I’m not letting this happen! I’m gonna go hard no matter what. I don’t care whatever happens. He caught that huge wave and I was already raged up, fired up and so the swell was peaking and my heat is up next and those big waves came. That hundred point ride was my last ride. I just remember when the sets were coming in. I remember it would stand up and it was easy to paddle out a little bit too far. It would back off at the last second and so I just held my ground and Kelly guys kept paddling. I’m going to make sure I’m not missing this wave. It lined up perfectly for me. Kelly was right on the outside of me, up and high. I was head down going I was like ‘motherfucker oh yeah’ I’m going and yeah it ended up being that hundred point ride and it was one of the greatest feelings I’ve ever had. It still means the world to me-such an honor.
Regarding Andy. We always used to scuffle. All my success in surfing is because of my brother. That’s how we pushed each other, like balls to the walls all the way, like you know what I mean? We fought, that’s what brother’s do. We just always pushed each other that hard in that way. It was intense but it’s all love.
I just got the invite this year and you know by Ha’ a and Clyde and I’m so stoked for them for putting me back at this event. Sponsors or not, I would still be a part of it you know, for the rest of my life.