WET AND WILD WITH ROCKIN’ FIG:Ripping it up in France

The boys on the world tour are heading into another world championship tour event, the Quiksilver Pro at Hossegor, France. Hossegor Beach has some incredible breaks and is already producing some four-to-eight foot offshore heavy barreling surf.

Thick lips and shallow sand-bar peaks have set up for some incredible tube rides in the first round. Seven-time world champ Kelly Slater found a few of those bowls in his heat, defeating a tough local wild card in the pounding shorebreak to take first place.

H.B’s Timmy Reyes was ripping big time, taking a win and pulling one of the high scores of the day with an incredible nine-plus ride.

Andy Irons took out three-time winner Patrick Bevan with an interference call right at the start of his heat to move on, a costly mistake for the Frenchman. And Aussie Dean Morrison got a super, super deep barrel ride and came out to advance.

Other winners included Hawaiian’s Freddy Boy Pattachia and Bruce Irons, East Coaster Damien Hobgood and Aussie Joel Parkinson.

Sent to the loser’s round were Aussies Taj Burrow, Mick Fanning, the Trestles winner Bede Durbidge, Cally’s Taylor Knox and Chris Ward and East Coaster’s C.J. Hobgood and Corey Lopez.

The contest went on hold for a few days, but meanwhile over in Spain — which is the next event at Mundaka on Oct. 2-14 — the killer left point was apparently breaking. It had good size and was insane, and some of the pros went to surf it.

Mundaka was canceled last year because they dredged it and ruined the wave, but it looks like it’s working again just in time. Stay posted for results.

Just down the road locally, an a.s.p. qualifying series surf contest was held at the Newport Pro on 56th Street.

In the final, Nathan Yeomans took charge blasting the lip, blowing some tail on a nice left to win and pocket $5,000. Last year’s champ, Oxnard’s Nathaniel Curran, finished a close second, while Ventura’s rad-free surfer Dane Reynolds placed third and up-and-coming Hawaiian “Bustin” Dustin Cuizon rounded out the top four.

In juniors, Kilian Garland killed it for the win, second was Hawaii’s “Down Town” Casey Brown, third was up north’s Nick Rozsa, and “The Lone” Granger Larsen was fourth.

I just love this time of year; late south swells and early west swells with warm water and sunny skies.

All of last week was good, but Thursday was a treat with the combo swell going big time. There was hardly any wind all day, three to six with some eight-foot-plus sets.

The H.B. Pier was all time, with some of the deepest barrels I’ve seen. Even I got my best barrel of the year, thanks to pro long boarder extraordinaire, Josh Mohr.

Mohr’s way cool, and shares the waves, letting the short boarders have a few, too. And I’ll tell ‘ya what, he got some sick deep ones, as well.

The boys were ripping, slash’n, carvin’, traveling and logging some precious tube time. Hope you were out there, ‘cause it was fire’n.

It’s official. Saturday was the Autumnal Equinox, so fall is here. There’s only one thing we’ve been missing: that true Santa Ana wind condition. Straight, offshore east winds.

But don’t worry, it’s coming soon. I can feel it. And if it’s like last week, Fig in and out, see ‘ya.