WET ‘N’ WILD WITH ROCKIN’ FIG:

The Assn. of Surfing Professionals’ pro circuit was just up at the chilly waters of Steamer Lane Santa Cruz last weekend for the $80,000 O’Neill Cold Water Classic. There was good surf, a swell hit, throwing waves in the 4-to-6-zone, with 8-foot sets peeling off the point. The surfers were stoked, as some times the Lane can be fickle, with the tides, the fog and different swell directions. By the time the final came around, local surfer Nat Young, 17, was the crowd favorite as fans on the cliffs held a ton of “Go Nat” signs and cheering his every ride.

He did have a couple close calls though, making it through his last couple heats right as time was winding down each time to move on. Young’s back side attack was looking pretty solid throughout the event, racking some heavy vertical slams.

In the final, Young got one of the best lined-up sets, slashing numerous times, throwing big water, busting a couple roundos too and finishing off with a mean reentry to boot, to take a super close decision to become the youngest surfer ever to win a Cold Water event pocketing $10,000.

Seal Beach’s 21-year-old Chris Waring was tearing apart his waves too with some big forehand gash’s, but lost by the closest of margins — .03 of a point. Waring, who surfs Huntington Pier regularly, was seen getting some of the heaviest barrels in last week’s practice sessions, during the swell, before heading up north for the contest. Hawaii’s Granger Larson had a couple nice turns to place third, and North Shore veteran Sean Moody rounded out the top four.

In the overall Macy’s Trifecta Series, Huntington Beach’s Micah Byrne went from eighth place to first place by making the semis in Santa Cruz, picking up a bonus of $10,000 for the overall champ edging out East Coaster Asher Nolan and Huntington Beach’s Shaun Ward a finalist at the Lane in previous years made it to the quarter finals for a good showing again this year.

In the juniors final, the finishing event for the ASP North American junior championships, Hawaiian Mason Ho was pulled a couple air reverses on his two scoring waves for a 19.1 tally outta 20. Ho, one of the new breed of futuristic surfers who can do it all, won $3,000. Aussie Jake Sharp finished second; Brazilian transplant Bruno Rodriques was going off too and ended up third.

In the Macy’s Trifecta for juniors, Hawaii’s Sebastian Zietz from the Big Island was first and Santa Cruz’s Nat Young was second overall. That wraps up another year at Steamer Lane Santa Cruz where that water hovers in the low 50s, burr dogs. Senior Surfing Olympics at Huntington Beach Pier, Saturday morning with age brackets starting at 50 years old, with surfers in their 60s and 70s plus! Yeah. 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.