WET ‘N’ WILD WITH ROCKIN’ FIG:

It’s that time of year again for the Billabong XXL Big Wave Awards Friday at the Grove in Anaheim. The most outstanding performance on a giant wave will net you a cool $50,000.

These surfers risk their lives trying to capture the moment on a 40-, 50- or 60-footer on film or video. They chase these storms around the globe, looking for the perfect scenario, huge surf with hopefully clean conditions, which is sometimes hard to find.

Most are in touch with premiere wave forecaster Sean Collins of Surfline, who tracks these potentially biggest swells of the year and sends these big wave water men on their missions. They also usually have a familiar toe-in partner to sling them into these waves before they are breaking and to pull them out of the danger zone after a heavy wipe-out. And of course taking turns of hopefully catching the macker of the day!

Most outstanding performance nominations are Hawaiian Shane Dorian for a giant day at Teahupoo, maybe 40-feet plus, a super late back side drop, lay back in a giant barrel and the big head over heels spit out. Gnarly giant Teahupoo again, with another Hawaiian Ian Walsh on a gigantor set locked in way back by the foam ball and makes it out. And local Tahitian surfer Manoa Drollet at “Chopes” again, a backside left locked in deep and the wave is sucking below sea level and throwing out big time and he pulls it off too.

I’d hate to imagine if these three didn’t make those waves because there have been some heavy casualties and deaths there over the years. Brazilian Carlos Burle caught a mammoth 50-foot right at Ghost Tree’s at Central Cal sucking out all the way to the kelp beds going full speed. And Aussie Michael Brennan at Shipstern Bluff who catches a big one that doubles up, he air drops down and holds on.

Then there’s the biggy of the year category, right off our coast, the Cortez Bank went beserko, possibly 50-, 60-feet plus with San Clemente’s Mike Parsons catching a giant one, a wave where he looks like an ant riding it, in the photo and the white water is trying to get him but he’s hanging on for dear life. Another wave that day was with South Africa’s Grant “Twiggy” Baker on a humongous big mushy wall, sky scrapers tall which he says is one of the biggest days he’s seen anywhere. Over in France is Frenchman Vincent Lartizien on a late drop, 45-plus, on an offshore textured left at Belharra Reef.

Some more 50- to 60-footers at Ghost Trees right off Pebble Beach golf coarse. Santa Cruz’s Tyler Fox on a long lined up right hand misty wall that he goes for, speed lining, backside, where in the audio his fans are claiming that’s the biggest wave of the year. And the “Gerr” Brad Gerlach a former winner at the XXL awards on a big front side bomb, bottom turn, on a macking right, with a dark black suck out barrel behind him that’s at least five stories high, whoa.

There probably will be an honorable mention for big wave surf legend Peter Davi who passed away at Ghost Trees last year on one of those huge days. As the crew of big wave riders has lost a few over the years, Mark Foo drowning at Mavericks, Donnie Solomoan at Wiamea, and Todd Chesser at Log Cabins to name a few. For the men who ride mountains doing the sport they love. See ya at the XXL award. Figgy and da crew will be there, pulling up in the white limo, yeah, yeah.

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.