WET ‘N’ WILD WITH ROCKIN’ FIG:

Big news-flash from Oz, from the women’s first event on the Assn. of Surfing Professional’s World Championship Tour, the Roxy Pro.

Just where she left off, 21-year-old Australian sensation, world champ Stephanie Gilmore was on fire, making the final and opening up with an amazing 9.57 score.

Gilmore surfed super fast, with speed floaters, and multiple slashes and proved to be unstoppable, taking out Hawaiian Melanie Bartels.

Bartels made a late run at Gilmore in the final, but came up short, but a great showing for her at the first surf contest of the year.

Bartels was stoked because the Hawaii’s Princess Abigail Kinoiki Kekaulike Kaw{amacronl}nanakoa set her up with traveling and expense money for all the events for the season and it seemed to pump her up even more.

The rookies were going off too, equal thirds, 17-year-old Hawaiian standout Coco Ho and from New Zealand with some great backside surfing from 18-year old Paige Hareb, their first event on the women’s World Championship Tour and looking like the start of big things to come!

Former world champs losing in the quarterfinals were Peru’s Sofia Mulanovich and Australia’s Chelsea Hedges, having some great waves as well.

Over in Australia, a big cyclone with heavy-duty wind speeds spun at sea.

It was off the Gold Coast area where the contest is, setting up some big surf and some big results for the men’s surfing from the Quiksilver Pro. Already some massive upsets down under and more rookies going wild.

Stay tuned for more results.

Right here at home, coming up Saturday is the Salsa Surf Contest on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier.

This event is put on by Edison High School’s Catherine Vasquez, an Edison High surf team member who is the contest director and organizer who wanted to raise awareness and funds by having a surf contest.

This is a good-cause surf event, a fundraiser for ALS.

All age brackets will surf it out, donating all the entries from boys’, juniors’, mens’, seniors’, gals’ and long boards, too. Some hot local talent have entered, like Jessie Steelman, Matt Payne and Chado Masri, just to name a few.

Helping out judging and other activities is local ripper Keetin Divine, an Edison alumnus. One of the top women’s surfer shredder’s, Holly Beck from Body Glove Wetsuits will sign posters and hang out. You can check out www.salsasurfing.org. Or check it out at 7 a.m.

Figster 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.