Wet and Wild with Rockin’ Fig

Rick Fignetti

It’s about time, the water has finally warmed up a bit, inching up the

scale. Did I say 60 degrees -- yup. The surf has finally picked up too,

another combo of west and south west swells hitting our coast line, with

even a few overhead sets to boot. Let’s keep it rollin’ till summer.

The National Scholastic Surfing Assn. held its ninth Open Season event

at Salt Creek in Dana Point last weekend.

The surf was rolling in the 2-to 3-foot zone, with a few bowly

shoulders. In the mini grom division, thats 10 and under, Andrew Doheny

and Ford Archibald of Newport Beach came in second and fourth

respectively. In boys, Santa Barbara’s Corey Arrambide came up with the

win, giving him a tie with another ripper Michael Taras for the most

first place victories overall, at an incredible, 20. While Huntington

Beach’s Kyle Kennelly finished up fourth with some nice rides. In

juniors, Seal Beach’s Chris Waring took the win with a killer ride that

earned him a score in the eight range, taking out Alex Gray of Palos

Verdes who came in second and Huntington’s Korey Lapoint pulling into

fifth position. Nobody from Huntington made the tough open mens final,

but a hot, up-and-coming amateur ripper from Oxnard Nathaniel Curran was

shredding, doing some mean lip bashes and busting some tail too.

He’s the little brother of former champion tour star, Tim Curran, and

it looks like he’ll be someone to watch for in the pro ranks in the

future. In bodyboarding Surf City’s Chris Espinoza was doing some sick

rolls -- that’s barrel rolls -- in the shore break, and he took top

honors with Darren Moody finishing it up third overall to wrap it up.

Some gossip from the NSSA Eastern Championships that were held at

Sebastian Inlet was that Eric Taylor in the mens and Sterling Spencer in

the juniors were going off and look to be a threat to win the nationals

at the end of June at Lowers. They were pulling some big moves and scores

according to South West contest Director Gayline Clifford. Also the surf

was bigger back there than it was out here during that time spread

according to local surfer and shaper Barry Deffenbaugh, and the

“Morganator,” who made it back safely from the road trip recently. Not

too many shark sightings either.

Coming up this weekend is the NSSA Explorer season contest No. 9 at

San Clemente Pier. There is this event and one more at Salt Creek before

the Western Championships at Huntington Pier May 16-19. Wasn’t it last

year that it was 8- to 10-feet plus and roping through the barnacle

encrusted Huntington Pier pilings for the Western’s? Now, that was one

that won’t be forgotten in the memory banks of few contestants for years

tocome. Have fun, get wet, Fig over and out.

* RICK FIGNETTI is a six-time West Coast champion, has announced the

U.S. Open of Surfing the last eight years and has been the KROQ-FM

(106.7) surfologist for the last 15 years where he’s done morning surf

reports. He owns a surf shop on Main Street. You can reach him at (714)

536-1058.