Wet and Wild with Rockin’ Fig:Surfers advance

The Assn. of Surfing Professional’s World Championship Tour is in its second event of the season, the Rip Curl Pro at Bells Beach, Australia. They’ve already run a couple of the rounds in 2- to 4-foot surf, with some hollow rights lining up.

Already there have been some big upsets as a few of the big-gun U.S. surfers have lost out in round three, like Bobby Martinez and Chris Ward, plus Hawaii’s Pancho Sullivan the “Power Master,” and Aussies Mark “Occy” Occhilupo, who got a sick barrel, and the “Dingo” Dean Morrison.

Among those advancing were current world champ Kelly Slater who had some huge front-side snaps; three-time world champ Andy Irons pulling some insane floaters; and East Coaster Damien Hobgood, who’s coming up against the “Fly’n Hawaiian” Freddy Boy Patacchia in the next round. In the women’s final was last year’s Assn. of Surfing Professionals rookie of the year Stephanie Gilmore, who slashed her way to victory over former world champ from Peru, Sofia Mulanovich. Gilmore’s win has given her a tie for first place in the overall standings. Equal thirds were last year’s world champ Layne Beachley, who lost a close one to Mulanovich and fellow Aussie Samantha Cornish.

There was a big turnout for the “Tsunami Diaries” at the Huntington Beach Auditorium Tuesday night. Timmy Turner and crew showcased the movie about the destruction after the earthquakes and tidal waves that hit Indonesia and the efforts to help out after. Cool raffles kept the crowd amped up. Plus, the clip from “Cold Thoughts,” Timmy’s new movie coming out soon, had some great footage of freezing surf in Alaska. Included was bonus footage from “Chasing the Dream,” about the Huntington High School surf team traveling to Oz.