WET ‘N’ WILD WITH ROCKIN’ FIG:

In January, the Katin Pro/Am Team Challenge went off for three days, 3- to 8-foot faces, with barrels, long walls and local Brett Simpson taking the win over Rob Machado, who had a perfect score in the final. The Katin is coming up Jan. 12 to 17 on the north side of the Huntington Beach Pier.

In March on the south side of the pier was the Ezekiel Pro Junior, which was won by hot up-and-comer from Malibu Dillon Perillo.

The NSSA National Championships saw fun, rippable surf at Trestles in June. San Clemente’s Kolohe Andino showed why he’s the cream of the crop, blowing up for the win in the Governor’s Cup. Santa Barbara’s Lakey Peterson pulled a first by busting a huge air in the women’s final.

Another contest, the Nike 6.0 Pro Junior, took place in late June at the pier as hot Hawaiian amateur power master Keanu Asing defeated the U.S. crew for the win.

The biggie, the Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing in July, saw a revitalized year. Nine-time world champ Kelly Slater, three-time world champ Andy Irons, Mick Fanning, C.J. Hobgood and more showed up. The boys were ripping, Simpo got the win, and first place was $100,000 — a new record-breaker for pro surfing.

Courtney Conlogue, showing no fear in the big stuff won the women’s final, and Hawaiian Kai Barger lay claim to being the best junior by winning his final in the waning minutes.

The Billabong ISA World Games came up next in Costa Rica at Playa Hermosa. It’s been a few years since the U.S. has struck gold, but with Conlogue winning women’s, and Cory Lopez and Ben Bourgeois getting second and fourth, respectively, in the men’s, and Tony Silvagni placing fourth in the longboard final, Coach Ian Cairns pulled it off. In the SIMA Surfing America USA Championships in Surf City in August, Andino, again rose up and took another U.S. title.

The O’Neill World Cup in Hawaii in November was in the biggest surf most have ever seen for the event, with 15- to 25-foot waves and Aussie Joel Parkinson charging for the win. Another huge swell rolled in, claimed to be the biggest surf in more than 20 years, meaning it was time for the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay.

There were 20-, 30-, maybe 40-foot faces. Slater was winning till the last heat, when San Clemente’s Greg Long went berserk, getting a perfect score on a super-late drop to win it.

And then there was the Billabong Pipeline Masters, good barrels all the way till the last day, when Australian Taj Burrow won on an air. Fanning won his second ASP world title. Aussie Stephanie Gilmore turned on at the Billabong Pro Maui to clinch her third world title.