When it comes to professional surfing contests, most competitors are glad to survive a heat and advance to the next round.

Yesterday, the surfers in the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing were glad to survive, period.

The third round of the event was run yesterday in treacherous conditions at Sunset Beach. The ocean was stormy and unorganized, and wave-face heights reached 25 feet.

"I'm happy I got through my heat, but I wasn't happy to be out there," Wai'anae's Sunny Garcia said. "The lives of the surfers were at risk today. I don't think any amount of money is worth seeing somebody drown."

Only eight heats were run before the conditions prompted officials to postpone the action at mid-day.

"It was a little more manageable in the morning," said Randy Rarick, executive director of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing. "But it just got too big and unruly, so we decided to shut it down and try again (today)."

The surfers who had to compete yesterday were not exactly stoked with the conditions.

"It was about survival — one of the hardest heats I ever had," Sunset Beach's T.J. Barron said after winning his heat. "There were some guys who couldn't even catch one wave. I'm glad I didn't break a board, and didn't get held under (water) too long. I was really scared a few times, and I got my board blown out of my hands, lost a lot of breath."

Garcia, Barron and Bruce Irons were the only Hawai'i surfers among the 16 who advanced yesterday. They said it had nothing to do with North Shore experience.

"It's beyond knowledge and ability today," Garcia said. "I'm probably in the best shape of my life, and I was having a hard time getting from the channel to the lineup just to catch a wave."

Among the surfers eliminated yesterday was Australia's Joel Parkinson, who won the contest last year at Sunset Beach.

The World Cup of Surfing is the second of three contests in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series.

Parkinson is ranked No. 4 in the world, and placed third at the first Triple Crown contest last month at Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach.

Three of the four finalists from the first Triple Crown contest have already been eliminated from the O'Neill World Cup, so the race for the overall Triple Crown title is wide open.

Hawai'i surfers eliminated yesterday were Joel Centeio, Marcus Hickman and Sean Moody.

Rarick said he started the competition yesterday morning because the weather forecast for the rest of the week is unfavorable. The O'Neill World Cup must be completed by Thursday.

"The winds will not be good for competition for the rest of the week, so we'll have to see what happens," he said. "It could even be worse than this."

Maui's Ian Walsh did not have to compete yesterday, so he was pleased with the decision to halt at mid-day. He is scheduled to surf in the fourth round.

"The conditions aren't looking good for the next few days," Walsh said. "But I think I'd rather take my chances for the next couple of days. I think it should be a little more surfable than today."

One more day of competition is required to complete the contest. For status of the contest, call 596-7873 or visit www.triplecrownofsurfing.com.

FOURTH ROUND HEATS

Heat 1: Dion Atkinson (Australia), Nic Muscroft (Australia), Dane Reynolds (California), Chris Ward (California). Heat 2: Makua Rothman (Hawai'i), Flynn Novak (Hawai'i), Cory Lopez (Florida), Bede Durbidge (Australia). Heat 3: Corey Ziems (Australia), Adrian Buchan (Australia), Jay Thompson (Australia), Mick Fanning (Australia). Heat 4: Adam Melling (Australia), Josh Kerr (Australia), Rodrigo Dornelles (Brazil), Ian Walsh (Hawai'i). Heat 5: Taj Burrow (Australia), Tiago Pires (Portugal), Hodei Collazo (Spain), Bruce Irons (Hawai'i). Heat 6: Leonardo Neves (Brazil), Jordy Smith (South Africa), Kieren Perrow (Australia), Jeremy Flores (France). Heat 7: Tom Whitaker (Australia), Sunny Garcia (Hawai'i), Tim Reyes (California), Dayyan Neve (Australia). Heat 8: Yuri Sodre (Brazil), Phillip MacDonald (Australia), Daniel Ross (Australia), T.J. Barron (Hawai'i).

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.