Wet ‘n’ Wild with Rockin Fig:

Just as expected, the Billabong XXL Big Wave Award Show went off. In a year where some of the largest swells were ridden by a handful of the bravest surfers around the globe, the footage on the big screen made for an all-time evening.

From former A.S.P. pro legendary surfer Mark “Occy” Occhilupo doing the emcee work to memorable moments from last year’s big winner Ken “Skin Dog” Collins getting on the mic to introduce some of the big wave finalists, and also throwing some comedy, the show was rolling till the end. In my mind that shot of San Clemente surfer Mike Parsons at Cortez Bank was bigger than any thing I’ve seen anybody ever riding, and the judges agreed, measuring it a 70-footer and a new Guinness World record for the win. Parsons said they let the previous waves go by hoping the next would be bigger and sure enough it was the mack daddy. He won in 2001 on a 66-footer and now on the biggest wave he’s ever ridden. In the Ride of the Year division, Hawaiian Shane Dorian was at Teahupoo and caught a gnarly lookin’ 44-foot suck out left where he said he almost ate it three times, even going into a lay back on the wave face at one point and was flung out at the end of the barrel to pocket the biggest prize of the night, $50,000. San Clemente’s Greg Long won two categories, Paddle in of the Year, that’s with no water craft help, and Best Over All Performance. Long said that wave at Todos Santos, the 60-footer off Mexico, was the farthest he’s ever paddled out to catch a wave and it paid off.

In his acceptance speech Long said he had obsessive, compulsive behavior for big waves and was sorry to his parents for having to leave early last Thanksgiving because of a huge swell. And because of his fortune tonight, the drinks were on him. I saw him buy some big rounds for the boys as we toasted his huge wins.

In the women’s Brazilian Maya Gabeira got the Ride of the Year for females. She rode the biggest barrel ever by a gal at “Chopes,” which was totally round. And the Monster Tube of the Year went to Tahitian Manoa Drollet with a perfect-shaped deep suck out left, again at Teahupoo, where he was so deep and came out to the screams of everyone at the Grove watching. Former world champs Shaun Tompson and Peter “P.T.” Townend were in attendance as well as tons of other pro surfers, people from the surf industry, hot chicks and big wave fans alike.

The Huntington Beach Surf Museum is presenting two new exhibits this weekend, one for Jan and Dean, with a guest appearance, some new photos and the 1978 movie “Deadman’s Curve.”

Plus French surfer and artist Ce’line Chant will be showing “Sharing Perspectives” where you can check out her beautiful works of surf art. ?

Surfing Sundays, which has been going on for 12 years, begins Sunday and the Surf Tones will be playing to kick it off.

That’s it for now. Figgy 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.