Wet ‘N’ Wild with Rockin’ Fig:

The big show is about ready to begin — the Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing is set to kick off Saturday on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier. The event concludes July 26.

This also marks 50 years of competitive surfing at the pier, which started in 1959 with the West Coast Surfing Championships, which lasted until 1963 with legendary winners like Jack Haley and Linda Benson.

In 1964, it changed to the United States Surfing Championships, which graced the pier until 1973. More icons of the time won titles, like Corky Carroll, who racked up a few; David Nuuhiwa, king of the Nose Riders; and the stylish Joyce Hoffman.

By 1982, Surf City saw the beginning of the ever-popular OP Pros, the start of modern professional surfing and huge crowds. Aussie Cheyne Horan pulled a backside 360 to win the first contest in a series of great events that saw three-time world champ Tom Curren and Mark “Occy” Occhilupo have some great runs over those years. There was one bad year that set surfing back, and that was the riot in 1986, which definitely overshadowed the surfing action.

By 1994, it was a new era; the title was now the U.S. Open, and it was a world championship tour event to determine the Assn. of Surfing Professionals world champ. Big guns like Shane Beschen, Rob Machado and Kelly Slater took wins.

Over the years, the U.S. Open in Huntington Beach has been a World Championship Tour event, but these days, it’s been downgraded to a World Qualifying Series event. It is, though, the highest-rated WQS event, with a six-star ranking.

This is also the city of Huntington Beach’s 100-year anniversary, and with this, it’s the biggest talent pool we’ve seen here in a few years for the men’s: nine-time world champ Slater is in, as are other world champs Andy Irons, Mick Fanning, C.J. Hobgood and Sunny Garcia — plus other top world stars like Brazil’s Adriano De Souza, No. 2 in the world, Taylor Knox, Freddy Boy Patacchia, Dane Reynolds and Taj Burrow, to name a few.

Brett Simpson heads the list of the local boys looking for some big points along with the Gudauskas brothers and pier regular Chris Waring.

In women’s, the world champ and former winner Aussie Stephanie Gilmore is entered along with another world champ, Peru’s Sofia Mulanovich, plus Brazil’s Jacqueline Silva, Hawaii’s Co Co Ho, second last year, and up-and-coming phenomenon Carissa Moore, the WQS points leader.

So, hot surfing, bands, BMX, street skating, model shows, booths, freebies and more. See you in the announcer’s booth!

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.