Danny Fuller did not let this opportunity pass.

The Kauai surfer outlasted the competition to win the HIC Pro at Sunset Beach on Saturday in 8- to 12-foot waves.

With the win, Fuller qualified for the Vans Triple Crown that starts Wednesday. He was beaming on the podium for the first-place finish that was worth $15,000.

It was Fuller’s first victory in the ASP World Qualifying Series, and it came in a stacked final against past HIC Pro champions Fred Patacchia, Mason Ho and Billy Kemper.

"I have never won a WQS event in my life, so I am just absolutely stoked right now," Fuller said. "My day is going great, man. What a trip because I started this morning in the second heat and when I showed up it was just 10-to-12 feet and wild. Every heat I just started getting more and more confident with what was going on out there with my boards and it’s really surreal because I had made finals but never even gave myself a chance to win (in the past)."

Fuller made a late charge getting his first wave above 3 points at the 8-minute mark of the 30-minute final. He hooked into a solid wave where he performed two committed backside snaps, good for an 8-point ride, the highest of the heat. He quickly backed it up with another wave that featured a couple of vicious backside turns for a 6.65 and eventually the win.

"I had been away from my wife and daughter for a while and I was just telling myself to just make this count," he said. "Now I feel really good going into Haleiwa and Sunset. Haleiwa is probably going to be 12 feet, so I am psyching."

The first event of the Vans Triple Crown, the Reef Hawaiian Pro, starts Wednesday.

Patacchia, an ASP world tour surfer and the HIC Pro top seed, placed second.