Wet ‘N’ Wild with Rockin’ Fig:

Here we go. The Katin Pro/Am Team Challenge presented by Primo starts today with a swell forecast of waves 5 to 8 foot-plus. Mother Nature sent a storm down the coast, pushing the swell up, as contest director Darren Brillhart gave the go-ahead for today and Friday to take advantage of conditions on the north side of the Huntington Beach Pier.

The event is going to be even bigger than usual with 20 teams entered. So more big teams and names will be surfing. It looks like Jack’s Surfboards will have San Clemente’s Dane Gudauskas and local Bruno Rodrigues surfing for them, while Surfing America has put together some hot amateurs, East Coaster Evan Geiselman and Newport ripper Andrew Doheny. Body Glove has Alex Gray representing; Cushe has the Sugar Shack barrel rider Ryan Turner and shaper Cordell Miller on board. Matix added former championship tour surfer Gabe Kling to its lineup, and Reef looks like it’s got some talent in Ben Bourgeois, who helped the U.S. win gold this summer, and last year’s Chris Waring, who went air-time ballistic in the final.

There are some big changes on the Hurley team that won in 2009. Scratch Brett “Simpo” Simpson and Rob Machado, who placed first and second, and fill-in Pat O’Connell. It looks like it’ll be up to hot locals Brad Ettinger, Brandon Guilmette, and amateur chargers Conner Coffin and Michael Dunphy to try to repeat. Another team that looks tough is Surfline, with ringers Nathaniel Curran and Kalani Robb, a couple of former championship tour surfers. Rip Curl has legendary three-time world champ Tom Curren, Fox has Hawaiian power master Jesse Merle Jones, and the Huntington Beach High School All Stars has Jeff Deffenbaugh, a former winner, and National Scholastic Surfing Assn. star Christian Saenz. There are more than $28,000 in prizes, with $4,000 for first, plus a $5,000 Kicker car stereo and a two-page spread in Surfing magazine for the winning team.

The Billabong World Junior Championships are running at North Narrabeen in Australia. In the gals, Ventura’s Sage Erickson lost in round three, and Orange County’s Courtney Conlogue has made the quarterfinals. Santa Cruz’s Nat Young, Capo’s Luke Davis and Ventura’s Cory Arrambide will be representing the U.S. from the West Coast. Brazil’s Wiggolly Dantas and Australia’s Garret Parkes and Owen Wright have been standouts in the early rounds.

See you at the Katin.

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.