It's make or break time on O'ahu's North Shore.

And surfboards are not the only things at risk in the treacherous waves.

Championships, sponsorships and careers are all on the line during the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.

Now in its 23rd year, the Triple Crown is considered the most prestigious surfing series in the world because it is staged in such awesome conditions. It consists of three separate events at three different beaches on O'ahu's North Shore.

The first of the three events is expected to begin this week at Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach.

"You always hear the surfers talk about how winning the Triple Crown is as big as winning the world title, and it's true," Triple Crown executive director Randy Rarick said. "This really is a proving ground for the world's best surfers, and if you can do it here, you really earn the respect of everybody in the sport."

The Triple Crown is the last stop on the 2005 world tour for men and women, so many surfers need strong performances to qualify for the 2006 tour.

Florida's Kelly Slater clinched the men's world championship last week in Brazil, so that title will not be decided during this year's Triple Crown.

"The pressure is off for him, but I still expect he'll put on a show at Pipeline," Rarick said.

Slater may not enter this week's OP Pro Hawai'i, so the men's Triple Crown will be a wide open race.

Among the leading contenders are Kaua'i brothers Andy Irons and Bruce Irons, and Wai'anae's Sunny Garcia, who won his record sixth Triple Crown title last year. A strong contingent from Australia is also expected.

"If the waves get big, Sunny is always a threat," Rarick said. "And I'm pretty sure Andy (Irons) will be fired up having lost the world title to Kelly, so you could see some really good surfing out of a lot of guys."

Garcia, 35, is expected to retire from the world tour after the Triple Crown.

Most of the surfers in the Triple Crown are on the world tour, but a few spots are reserved for the North Shore experts.

Jamie O'Brien is one of them. He won the Rip Curl Pipeline Masters last year (the third event in the men's Triple Crown), and is now considered a Triple Crown contender.

"To win at home in Hawai'i and win the Triple Crown states that you can surf in the best waves in the world," O'Brien said. "It means so much, you can't really explain it in words."

The men's Triple Crown offers $530,000 in prize money, including a $10,000 bonus to the overall Triple Crown champion.

But winning a Triple Crown contest can also lead to financial gain outside of the prize purse, as O'Brien found out.

"I got bigger contracts from my sponsors and my schedule got stepped up a little more," he said. "A lot of good came out of winning, that's for sure."

The women are still in search of a 2005 world champion. It could be decided this week during the Roxy Pro at Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach, or at the Billabong Pro Maui next month.

Defending champion Sofia Mulanovich of Peru is currently ranked No. 1 with 5,820 points. Australia's Chelsea Georgeson is not far behind with 5,592. No. 3 Megan Abubo of Waialua has an outside chance.

"We will crown a women's world champion this year sometime during the Triple Crown, so that's exciting," Rarick said. "And it's a true Triple Crown for the women again this year, so that gives them something else to shoot for."

After a four-year hiatus, the women's Triple Crown will return to Sunset Beach. The O'Neill World Cup of Surfing Sunset Challenge, Nov. 26 to Dec. 6, will not count toward the world title race, but it will count in the Triple Crown standings.

"I think it's huge to get Sunset back because it brings an aspect to women's surfing that's been missing for a while," Kaua'i's Rochelle Ballard said. "I think being able to perform in bigger waves at a place like Sunset makes us more well-rounded as water-women rather than just high-performance surfers."

Ballard is still recovering from an ankle injury, but she is considered one of the top women's Triple Crown contenders. Among the other contenders are defending Triple Crown champion Georgeson, and Kaua'i's Keala Kennelly.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.