WET ‘N’ WILD WITH ROCKIN’ FIG:

More world-tour action, this time in beautiful Tahiti at that grinding hollow left over the reef known as Teahupoo or pronounced “Chopuu.” The $340,000 Billabong Pro went all the way down to the end of the waiting period last week to finish it off in some barreling 3- to 5-foot surf.

Santa Barbara’s Bobby Martinez was on a roll, winning some big heats all the way to the final. Martinez nabbed a couple of the best barrels in the final of the whole contest getting way deep to defeat Australia’s Taj Burrow. Burrow had some nice cracks, slashes off the top and some backside barrels to finish runner up and also moved up to second in the world standings. Martinez, who doesn’t have any big time sponsors at the moment, jumped up to number seven in the ratings. Equal thirds Aussie Mick Campbell and Spain’s Aritz Aranburu the upsetter who took out nine-time world champ Kelly Slater in round-two action.

Some equal fifths were America’s C.J. Hobgood and Taylor Knox, who had an exceptional heat. Huntington Beach’s Timmy Reyes lost out in round-two action on a tie-break situation. And other Americans losing in the new Assn. of Surfing Professionals’ format, no-losers round, were San Clemente’s Chris Ward and Ventura’s Dane Reynolds and Nathaniel Curran in round one.

Last Friday on the South Side of the Huntington Pier in super tiny surf was the Red Bull Riders Cup. It was the Orange County Regional Championships with the top four surf team’s from Orange County. In the first round, favored Edison High School, winners of the Sunset League were up against Newport Harbor High but ended up losing out in a close one. On the other side of the bracket, was last year’s defending champ San Clemente High School who was up against the always-tough Huntington Beach High School Surf Team, decision Huntington Beach High setting up the final between Newport Harbor vs Huntington High. It was super, super close, both teams ripping the miniature surf. There were lots of time-outs, and surfer changes, with the coaches, Ryan Simmons for Newport Harbor and Andy Verdone for Huntington, working to get the win in inconsistent conditions. The outcome — Newport Harbor wins its first-ever regional final, led by MVP Chase Wilson, honorable mention goes out to Huntington’s Derek Peters and Christian Saenz.

Newport Harbor will move on to the Red Bull Riders Cup National Championships June 6 and June 7 at Upper Trestles, San Clemente. Of course, the National Surf League format was founded by former Surf City resident Brad Gerlach, and is an exciting team format. That’s it for now. 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.