Wet ‘N’ Wild with Rockin’ Fig:

Straight outta the announcers booth, yours truly, the Figster, has been checking out this year’s 2009 Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing, going big time already with fellow commentators David Stanfield and Australian Mitchell Ross. Last weekend’s crowds were definitely the biggest we’ve seen for the first two days of any event over the years.

The beach and pier were packed solid with spectators checking the hot surfing action. And the weather was great, too, sunny skies and not much wind with a 2- to 4-foot tropical swell. We’ve run the juniors down to the quarterfinals and some of the standouts were San Clemente’s Kolohe Andino, Hawaii’s Kai Barger, Keanu Asing and Tonino Benson, plus Santa Cruz’s Nat Young, Newport Beach’s Andrew Doheny and East Coaster Evan Geiselman. They pick up part of the action today.

In the junior gals, it’s down to the final, with Hawaii’s Coco Ho and Malia Manuel, Ventura’s Sage Erickson and Reunion Island’s Cannelle Bulard making it, and that will run Saturday along with the other women’s final. Lots of men’s elimination heats through the week, with an all-star crew on hand, like world champs Kelly Slater, Andy Irons, C.J. Hobgood, Sunny Garcia and Mick Fanning. Plus former winners like three-timer Rob Machado, last year’s winner Nathaniel Curran, Hawaiian Kalani Robb, Shea and Cory Lopez, to name a few. We’ll see what happens as we steamroll to the finals, which will be Sunday for the men’s and junior men’s.

There will also be an All-Star Tow-In Expression Session on Saturday and Sunday and the Corona Nose Riding Invitational Final on Sunday, too.

Also starting today will be the Nike 6.0 HB BMX Pro event, the Converse Coastal Carnage street skating, the U.S. Open Festival with all the tents and Hurley’s Walk the Walk Grand Championships, which is a modeling debut of all the new killer fashions with hot models, which will also kick off.

Plus, lots of autograph signings by pro surfers, free giveaways and new products to check out. And to make things even better, there is rumor of a giant swell hitting Friday and Saturday, with 6- to 12-foot cowabunga surf. Not to mention the richest first-place prize giveaway ever in the history of surfing — $100,000 for first. Now that’s incredible.

Make sure you come down early on the weekend, as we’re expecting more than a hundred thousand spectators each day. If you can’t make it, check out www.usopenofsurfing.com or www.hurley.com for the live webcast Thursday through Sunday. See you at the surf contest!

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.