WET ‘N’ WILD WITH ROCKIN’ FIG:Americans doing well at ASP tour

The California coast was hit by a big heat wave this last week with air temps up to the 80s at our Surf City beaches. It was packed in like sardines on the sand as sun worshipers flocked down to cool off in the Pacific Ocean, which was a lukewarm upper-60 degrees.

There is only a week left before many college students go back and a few weeks left for the high schools and middle schools, so they are taking advantage of it! It sure has been nice with a little combo swell too.

On the ASP tour they’ve been flying all around the globe, and the Americans have been doing pretty well. Taking the win in small 1-to 2-foot surf in Japan was Florida’s Gabe Kling at the six-star Billabong Tahara Pro, while fellow East Coaster from North Carolina Ben Bourgeois was a close second.

Right after that, the next event was at Newquay, England, for the $100,000 five-star Rip Curl Board Masters, which was also held in some small 1-to 3-foot conditions. The man of the hour was Bourgeois again, making a final and this time icing it over Brazilian Heitor Alves.

These results put Bourgeois in a good position to qualify for the WCT next year, as usually the top 15 will move on. Qualifying series ratings see Portugal’s Tiago Pires first, the U.S.’s Bourgeois second, Aussie Jay Thompson third, South Africa’s Jordy Smith fourth, and Ventura’s rad man Dane Reynolds in eighth.

Coming up next is France, a six-star event at Lacanau and the Super Series at Hossegor.

A little closer to home, the H.B. Surf Series held its third event at Ninth Street over the weekend. Last year’s overall winner in the pro division, Mike Hoisington, was ripping it up taking first place, moving into third in the current standings.

Second was Malibu’s Adam Virs with some good rides, Hawaiian Jesse Merle Jones pulled into third and local boy Teddy Navarro rounded out the top four spots with some killer lip bash’s too.

In the amateurs’, high-five to the winners: boys’ was dominated by Derek Peters; in juniors’ Alex Guilett came up with the big win, moving into second in the overall standings behind H.B.’s Ryan McAfee. Hot local Matt Taylor took the tough mens’ final, and Matt Tokarz won masters and is first overall too.

Mixing it up, old-school and new-school Rocky McKinnon took longboards’ and Natalie Anzivino won the womens’.

The last event for the H.B.Surf Series is September 29 and 30 at the pier.

Checking in with Tom Jones, the environmentalist, stand-up paddler coming down the coast from Nor Cal, there’s been a few brush’s with Great Whites.

On one stretch out of Crescent City a 16-footer was following his contingent for a while. Then on another leg of the journey, one was getting a little too close and had to be run off by the Jet Skis. All in all, it been good so far, averaging a little over 10 miles day.

That’s it for now! Fig over and out.