Sullivan dominates at Sunset Beach in HIC Pro

Sunset Beach is a power-surfing break and Pancho Sullivan is a power surfer, so it was no surprise to see him dominate on Day 2 of the HIC Pro on Tuesday.

Sullivan is a past champion and a Sunset Beach local who has more than 25 years of experience at the break and it showed with his impeccable wave selection and a 14.53 third-round heat total, the highest of the day.

Sullivan’s solid frame and powerful turns suited the hefty 4- to 6-foot blue walls of Sunset perfectly. He committed to rail carves on his first wave and never looked back, taking second in his second-round heat and rolling to a win in the third round.

"I definitely got in a little bit better rhythm with the waves, but I feel I still haven’t brought the level that I know that I am capable of," Sullivan said, "but I think that’s because Sunset is such a challenging wave that in each heat you are always striving to bring something a little more in your surfing and push it to the next level. I am really excited to get through today because it looks like it’s shaping up (later this week) for some real solid Sunset that you live for in that 8- to 10-foot range."

The HIC Pro, an ASP 4-star event with $95,000 in prize money, serves as a qualifier for the upcoming Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.

Young gun Koa Smith of Kauai observed the lineup and made a veteran decision before his heat started.

"It was an upcoming swell, so it was kind of tricky," Smith said. "When I first showed up, everyone was sitting on the point and then the swell started pushing in and everyone started moving toward the end bowl, so I actually ran home and grabbed a different board."

Smith snuck past former world champion and six-time Triple Crown champion Sunny Garcia, who placed second and also advanced.

Evan Valiere, who scored the highest ride of the day with a 9.10; Billy Kemper; Hank Gaskell; Joel Centeio; Fred Patacchia and Ian Walsh were among the other notables making it through to the final day, which will run on the next day of top-notch waves in the holding period.