Wet ‘n’ Wild with Rockin’ Fig:

The WCT’s Quiksilver Pro at Hossegor, France, finished in some small-scale 1- to 3-foot surf. But it didn’t matter to Aussie Mick Fanning who went on another big tear, taking another win — this time over South Africa’s Greg Emslie. Emslie needed two big scores the whole time, after Fanning posted an 8.5 and then an almost- perfect 9.93 score. Fanning was doing his thing, speed turn after turn, on his forehand, with tail-sliding maneuvers after each off-the-top, in full control.

Emslie was stoked to just make the final because it’s been 20 years since another South African has made it there.

Fanning beat up-and-coming Aussie aerialist Troy Brooks in the semis, and Emslie knocked out Joel Parkinson, who was visibly upset after the loss, as most were eyeing a Fanning/Parko showdown. Taj Burrow lost in the quarters to Parkinson, and Kelly Slater, Andy Irons and Bobby Martinez had a rough heat and lost out in Round 3.

Slater closed the gap after the Boost Mobile Pro at Trestles recently to a couple hundred points in the overall title race. But now Fanning has jumped it back up to a 1,000-point plus lead. Fanning has 6,470 points, Slater has 5,450, Taj has 5,243. Parko, in fourth; A.I. in fifth; Pancho Sullivan sixth; Damien Hobgood seventh; eighth is Jeremy Flores; ninth is Bede Durbidge and No. 10 is Dean Morrison. If Slater, Taj, Parko or A.I. get a 33rd, then if Fanning gets second or third, he wins it. If Slater or Taj gets a fifth, then Fanning needs to win it.

Next up is Mundaka in Spain.

Last weekend the H.B. Surf Series ran the last event of the season at the Huntington Beach Pier. The action was hot and heavy as H.B. local Brandon Guilmette slashed his way to victory. Ventura’s Adam Virs pulled a second as Hawaii’s Macy Mullen and Jesse Merle Jones were third and fourth, respectively.

Meanwhile, at the WSA’s event at California Street in Ventura a couple of weeks ago, in super grom’s 13-and-under division, H.B.’s Ryan Harris placed third and Chandler Stirrat was fifth, and in boys’ short board 12- and 13-year-olds, Cameron Faris pulled into the fourth spot. In boys’ longboard 13-and-under, fourth was Surf City’s Tony Bartovich, while Mike Fisher placed fifth in boys’ longboard 14-17; fourth in open longboard, too.

In grand master’s the Figster took the win with a super long righty with a couple of nice cracks; big Pat Schlick was second and Jay Boldt — with a sprained ankle — rounded out the top-six with some big moves in his earlier heat.

That’s it for now. See ya, 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.