Surfline’s new bible

Local surf-forecasting guru Sean Collins has come out with a new book called “Surfline’s California Surf Guide.” It’s his hot tips and secrets to finding the best waves along our coastline.

The book breaks down the essentials that every surfer should know about waves, starting with how swells are generated, how the energy hits the ocean floor, what kind of swells there are and what different swell directions mean. There’s tons of stuff that will help you figure out where to go to score your best surf.

Other major factors to think about include how the tides are flowing, the wind direction and other weather factors.

The book also has a special section on hurricanes, what speeds designate certain categories and some history of the biggies that have hit over the last 25 years.

Collins is the founder and chief forecaster at Surfline.com, which tracks storms and gives forecasts and updates for surf in all parts of the globe. It’s a great job he’s been doing since as far back as the late ‘70s. Collins also goes into detail on how to use swell charts and how to monitor buoys.

Then comes the part for you travelers: area breakdowns for Northern Cal, Central Cal and Southern Cal.

This section of the book hits the major breaks up and down the coast. It gives a brief description of how each sets up, what kind of surf it usually produces, etc. Then, in a separate area, it talks about tide, swell direction, wind, bottom contour and what surfing ability it requires. The book even discusses typical crowds at each site and the local vibe, what hazards to watch for and even what size board you might ride.

There are color illustrations and photos and a surf glossary to give meaning and definition to the terms used. It looks like a definite keeper, and you’ll find it in your finer surf shops.

Special note: At a fundraiser this Friday at Huntington Surf and Sport, 300 Pacific Coast Highway, across from the pier, the guru himself, Sean Collins, will be signing copies of his book from 5 to 8 p.m., and 100% of the profits will go to the Timmy Turner medical fund. So check him out. I already have my signature copy, and it’s killer!

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At the $75,000 Monster Energy Pro at Pipeline, Surf City’s 21-year-old Brad Ettinger was one of the standouts in the 15-foot surf in round two. Ettinger got a super-deep barrel and made it out, racking up a near-perfect score -- 9.83 out of a possible 10 -- and taking out the 2004 Energy Pro champ Tom Dosland on the way to winning the heat.

Other rippers in the early goings include former world champ Derek Ho; hot locals Kainoa McGee and Braden Dias; and cover boy Flynn Novak.

Getting knocked out in a tough heat was former H.B.H.S. team captain Chris Waring. Stay tuned for more results.

It looks like H.B. ripper Brett Simpson went down to Panama on a photo shoot with the shredding Malloy brothers and Huntington filmmaker Jessie Marley to get some insane footage at one of the islands off the coast. Simpo’s heading to Brazil after that to hit a six-star event, according to his model girlfriend who was keeping tabs on the boy by cell phone on her shopping spree downtown on Main Street the other day.

That’s it for now. See ya, Fig over and out.

* RICK FIGNETTI is a nine-time West Coast champion, has announced the U.S. Open of Surfing the last 12 years and has been the KROQ-FM surfologist for the last 18 years, doing morning surf reports. He owns a surf shop on Main Street. You can reach him at (714) 536-1058.

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