Summer in Surf City

WET AND WILD WITH ROCKIN’ FIG

Summer is finally in full swing and Surf City’s beaches are crowded

with sun worshipers, swimmers and surfers alike. That old June gloom

has broken and we have some sunny skies and muggy, humid weather.

Even the water temp has climbed to the upper 60s, setting up for some

trunkable days. On the Fourth of July Main Street was packed for the

biggest parade west of the Mississippi they say. Out in the surf zone

the waves were firing, too.

A lot of surf stuff has been happening -- at the last HB Surf

Series, at the Huntington Beach Pier, in the Prime Source Mortgage

final, Huntington ripper Ryan Turner took the win. Other shredders

participating were Danny Nichols, Timmy Reyes, Brett Simpson , Mike

Hoisington, Shawn Ward and Ryan Simmons. Now that’s a stacked deck.

Taking some of the wins in the different divisions were Christian

Saenz in super groms and Marty Weinstein in the boys. In juniors

Hawaiian Mashaijah Lani won, with Huntington Beach High School

rippers Ian Ekberg, Chase Newsom and John Paul Taylor, second, third

and fourth respectively. Men’s was won by Gabriel Escudero who was

throwing some mean turns and last years overall champ, Mark Austin,

came back to win event number two in the series in masters. In

grandmasters Richard Payne took top honors. Next up this weekend is

event number three at the pier Saturday and Sunday.

The Professional Surfing Tour of America was in town last week

taking advantage of a good southwest swell and some sizzling air

temps on the sands. In the pro division, the Hawaiians dominated

taking first and second place with big boy Roy Powers from Hanalei

Bay slashing to victory and Jessie Merle Jones reforming some waves

through to the inside in the action packed final. Finishing third was

Layne Harrison who had some nice rides and in fourth was Huntington

Beach local hero Danny Nichols. In long boarding, where they ride the

9-footers, taking an easy win was local pier ripper, the stylish Josh

Mohr. Cyrus Sutton, Travis Northy and Dodger Kremel, placed in that

order. In the women’s, East Coast sensation Karina Petroni was

putting on quite a performance. She has a similar style to former

world champ Lisa Anderson. Hawaiian transplant Anastasia Ashley

placed second, San Clemente’s Jaymee Gee third and Huntington Beach’s

Kim Hamrock fourth.

The PSTA is heading down south to the border this weekend at

Imperial Beach, San Diego. At the United States Amateur Surfing

Championships at Ocean side pier last week, in the legends division,

Huntington’s Bob “the Greek” Bolen was on top of his game, making his

way to the final by picking off some good ones. The Greek was using

his invention, the Turbo Tunnel fin, to get some nice long nose rides

and placed third.

A lot of concerned people, surfers, moms, dads and more, showed up

at the rally to save the Huntington Beach High School Surf Team and

show support for coach Andy Verdone who might get transferred to

another school. Andy’s put in, a lot of time and effort here helping

kids, not to mention guiding the surf teams to win about 17 National

Titles. Let’s keep him here in Huntington Beach, can we do that?

Surf Theatre night is tonight, Thursday and Big Red Productions is

showing Nathan Fletcher’s “These Colors Taste Like Music” at 7 and 9

p.m. at Pierside for some hot surfing action. Don’t forget the U.S.

Open of Surfing at the end of the month right here in beautiful

Huntington Beach with some of the hottest surfers in the nation and

world entered. See ya.

* RICK FIGNETTI is an eight-time West Coast champion, has

announced the U.S. Open of Surfing the last nine years and has been

the KROQ-FM surfologist for the last 17 years, doing morning surf

reports. He owns a surf shop on Main Street. You can reach him at

(714) 536-1058.