Wet 'N' Wild With Rockin' Fig:

The Assn. of Surfing Professionals’ next event on the world tour schedule was the Rip Curl Search somewhere in Indonesia.

The location is top secret, and it always seems like they come up with killer surf.

In ’05 it was at Reunion Island, ’06 in Mainland Mex at Barra, in ’07 in Chile at Arica. This year, I think I figured it out: Uluwatu. The top 44 surfers in the world went there last week and ran right into a perfect swell for some jamming 8- to 12-foot peeling lefts over the reef. By the finals it did drop more in the 3- to 6-foot range but was still firin’. Two Hawaiians were ready to battle it out.

Freddy Boy Patacchia from Oahu and Bruce Irons from Kawuai both did some damage. On the way, Patacchia took down hot Aussie Joel Parkinson, No. 2 in the world standings, in Round 4, then up-and-coming Aussie Kai Otton in the quarters and Portugal’s Tiago Peres in the semis, who actually knocked out, guess who, the points leader, eight-time world champ Kelly Slater in an earlier round.

Meanwhile Irons’ younger brother Andy was racking up some wins too, defeating last year’s world champ Mick Fanning in Round 4, Aussie rookie Ben Dunn in the quarters and San Clemente’s Chris Ward, who was going off all event as well.

When the final started they were trading wave for wave in the low-tide conditions which were tricky to find that right section.

But Irons found a good one, sneaked into a barrel and racked a few turns to take the lead. But it was right at the end when two killer-looking set waves rolled in, Patacchia going for the first one, gouging some mean turns, but caught back behind.

Then right at the buzzer Brucey got the next wave, throwing some upside down snaps in the pocket, blowing up, connecting through getting a 9.33 score to seal the deal and his first win ever on the championship tour.

Irons won $30,000 for the win, rocketed up to top 10 in the standings, a feat he wondered if he could ever accomplish as earlier in the year Irons said this will be his last season competing full-time on tour. What a way to go out.

Ward had a heck of a contest before losing in the semis, beating three-time world champ Andy Irons in Round 4 and Taj Burrow, last year’s runner up in the world standings, in the quarters. And Surf City’s Timmy Reyes was ripping like usual but lost out in Round 3 action. The ratings see Slater first with 5,620 way out front, then Parko second with 4,548, big Bede Durbidge with 4,382, Taj with 4,370, and Fanning with 4,353.

Next up, for the championship tour right here in Cali will be the Boost Mobile Pro Presented by Hurley Sept. 7 to 13 at Lower Trestles. Can Slates clinch title No. 9 there? Fig 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.