WET ‘N’ WILD WITH ROCKIN’ FIG:

Checking in on the ASP world championship surfing tour, which is over in beautiful Tahiti right now.

Only thing is, the surf has been on the flat side the last few days. Usually the Billabong Pro at Teahupoo is known for its heavy suck out, piping lefts that actually break below sea level over jagged reef, which are some of the heaviest barrels on the planet. They did actually run the Von Zipper Trials in some pretty decent 10-foot surf with two trialists going off, Hawaiian Jamie O’ Brien and Brazilian Bruno Santos advancing to the main event, both getting some super deep barrels.

Meanwhile the rest of the seeded pro surfers have been spending their lay-off time doing some free boarding behind boats, fitness training, fishing and even having a couple musical jam sessions.

The event waiting period goes from May 8 until Sunday with a swell scheduled to move in soon. Some heavy match ups are: Heat 3 the red hot goofy foot and former winner, Santa Barbara’s Bobby Martinez up against the “Big Boy” Hawaiian Roy Powers and South Africa’s Royden Bryson, Heat 4 H.B.’s Timmy Reyes who got the biggest barrel on the North Shore of Hawaii last winter against the Frenchman Jeremy Flores and S.A.’s Travis Logie.

Oh, oh two wins in a row, the USA’s eight-time world champ Kelly Slater trying for threes, against another former world champ C.J. Hobgood and dangerous wild card local Manoa Drollet, who got one of the barrels of the year at the XXL awards recently. In Heat 9 last year’s world champ Aussie Mick Fanning pulled the “Power Master” Pancho Sullivan and Pipe charger trialist O’Brien, another toughie heat.

And Heat 15, new rookie who’s already been throwing some of the sickest turns on tour this year, according to “Slates,” Ventura’s Dane Reynolds against winner of the So Cal Trestles event last week Calsbad’s Benny Bourgeois and runner up there Hawaiian “Freddy P” Patacchia who was throwing buckets. So it’s on when the swell arrives! Total purse: $320,000, $30,000 for first place.

In 2- to 4-foot good surf, Anglet, France, just held the first of two $50,000 Oxbow long board championship events. Harley Ingleby stole the show with some long stylish nose rides for the win. Local French surfer Antoine Delpero almost pulled off the upset but was happy with second place in front of the home crowd. Orange County’s three-time world champ Colin McPhillips made it to the quarter finals. McPhillips will no doubt be stoked as the second of the ASP. long boarding championships, Oxbow Pro, will be tentatively at Church Beach at San Onofre in San Clemente Oct. 5-11. There will be NSSA Western Championships at the Huntington Beach Pier this weekend for hot amateur action. I’ll see ya there. Fig over and out.

RICK FIGNETTI is a 10-time West Coast champion and a longtime KROQ-FM surfologist. He owns a surf shop on Main Street. You can reach him at (714) 536-1058.