WET AND WILD WITH ROCKIN’ FIG:Mark your surfing calendar

The new schedule for the Assn. of Surfing Professionals World Qualifying Series is out with a few local ones you’ll definitely want to check out. The U.S. ones have already started, with that four-star run on the East Coast — the O’Neill Sebastian Inlet Pro — held a couple of weeks ago, which was won by championship tour ripper C.J. Hobgood.

Over in Hawaii, they just started the Monster Energy Pipeline Pro last weekend. They held the first round in some rippable 4- to 8-foot surf, but had to go on hold due to stormy weather. The surf alert is up, with the waves on the North Shore reaching 20- to 30-feet plus by midweek. They’ll run on the cleanest days and the waiting period goes till Feb. 9. Could be some huge barrels at the Banzai Pipeline for this event.

March 21-25, at the Huntington Pier, will be the two-star Vans Pro, presented by Jack’s Surf Boards on the South Side, which always features some of the hot local boys. Down south at Lower Trestles on April 24-28 is the four star, $75,000 Body Glove Surf Bout. It’s a little early in the season for that classic point break, but it still seems to turn on every year with fun surf.

The biggie — the big surf event of the summer, the six-star, $125,000 U.S. Open of Surfing — will be at the Huntington Beach Pier during July 20-29. It will feature three days of trials just to get into the big show, with lots of the top-rated surfers in the world scheduled to surf. Then it’s back to the East Coast for the East Coast Surfing Championships, Aug. 22-26, at Virginia Beach. It’s been known to pick up some possible Hurricane surf over the years. Then there’s a two-star event in Newport Beach, the Newport Pro, Sept. 18-23. Fall swells hit nicely there.

Then it’s up to the chilly waters of Steamer Lane Santa Cruz for the four-star O’Neill Coldwater Classic, Oct. 16-21. Last year had some epic overhead rights off the point

Then it’s time to go to Hawaii for the No Fear Xcel Pro at Sunset Beach, Oct. 27-Nov. 10, a warm-up for the Triple Crown. Two biggies, six stars, worth $125,000 each — the OP Pro at Haliewa, Nov. 12-24, and back-to-back the O’Neill World Cup at Sunset, Nov. 25-Dec. 6. It’s big bucks and valuable ratings points at stake to make or break the season! We’ll get the 2007 World Championship Tour schedule next week.

The Western Surfing Assn.’s last event was a few weeks back at Salt Creek Beach Park in some 2- to 4-foot surf at Middles. Some standouts from Huntington were:

And finally, yours truly, the Figster, took the victory in grandmasters, while Schlicky was second in the close overall points battle.

Next up, Ponto in Carlsbad this weekend.