WET AND WILD WITH ROCKIN’ FIG:Stand-up barrels at Pipeline final

The North Shore was pumping last week for the final day of the four-star Monster Energy Pipeline Pro presented by Billabong.

The surf was big-time rolling in, anywhere from 8 to 15 feet at Banzai Pipeline. Some huge barrels were seen as contestants charged the big surf, with an incredible number of boards snapped in half over the week in the heavy conditions.

In the final, local standout Jamie O’Brien, who lives right at Pipe, was the man of the hour, pulling into a bowly left backside and getting shacked to score an eight-point ride, the high wave of the 30-minute final.

O’Brien also found an Off the Wall-right and got tubed on that wave, too, for a mid-seven score to shut the door and win the $10,000 first-place prize.

Aussie Mark Mathews had his chances at winning, picking off a couple of the biggest sets, pulling in, getting deep, but couldn’t find the way out. What could have been a perfect 10 turned into an average score, but still iced second place for his hard-core efforts.

Rob Machado from Cardiff, last year’s champ, was ripping all contest long, getting his casual in-and-out tubes all event. But in the final, Rob pulled into a late one, got clipped by the lip, ate it hard for the 25th snapped board and wasted valuable time paddling in to get some new equipment.

Rounding out the top four were Kauai’s Gavin Gillette, 20, who had some great waves throughout the event too. Equal thirds were Hawaiian Flynn Novak, who had some insane sizable barrels, and Aussie Damon Harvey.

Going big and equal fifths were Hawaiian’s championship tour competitor Freddy Boy Patacchia and Danny Fuller, going for broke as well.

Honorable mention after losing in the quarterfinals were Ventura’s rad man Dane Reynolds, retired vet Shane Dorian from the Big Island, and San Clemente’s Gavin Beschen and Dane Ward. Plus, Surf City’s Brad Ettinger, who went off, pulling in to some mean ones, winning his round-three heat, but losing out in the next round. It was some killa manilla action till the championship tour comes back next December!

Also in Hawaii is Huntington Beach’s Tom Jones, who’s been getting some stand-up paddleboard lessons from the best watermen around, Laird Hamilton and Dave Kalama. Jones is getting ready for his Paddle America excursion, which starts up at Oregon where he will make his way down the coast to San Diego to raise awareness about ocean pollution.

Hamilton is showing Jones paddling technique, how to read the ocean, and different positions that will be effective on his journey. Jones said he checked out the big-wave break — outter reef Jaws — which was 25 feet plus, while he was in the islands on his training session, and it was humbling.

Once again T.J. wants to thank all for the help he’s been getting on his mission — from Bob Hurley to the Hawaiians, to Rob Machado, M.D. Misko, the boys and the rest of you, you know who you are. The big trek is soon, in the next month or so.

At the Western Surfing Assn. at Ponto a few weeks back, the men’s ratings leader, Huntington’s Danny Misken, took another victory, extending his lead in the points race.

Topanga is this weekend and I hear tell there’s a swell. Also, there’s a National Scholastic Surfing Assn. Explorer at Ponto this weekend, which should have some big action, too.

Good Luck. That’s it for now. Figgy, over and out.