A day before Halloween, Sunset Beach was offering a lot of tricks and only a few surfers were able to find treats.

The second day of the Xcel Pro Presented by No Fear men's surfing contest was completed yesterday in tricky waves that ranged from 4 to 8 feet throughout the day.

"There's a lot of bump and it's a weird swell direction for Sunset," said Maui's Ian Walsh, the defending Xcel Pro champion. "It's definitely tough out there."

The second round and three-fourths of the third round were completed yesterday. Of the 40 surfers still in contention for the final day of competition, 24 are from Hawai'i.

"There's a little bit of advantage for us (the Hawai'i surfers) — you still have to know where to sit to get the right waves, and you have to know which waves to take and which ones to let go," said Raymond Reichle, who grew up surfing at Sunset Beach. "But even if you're from here and you think you know the place, it's hard."

Love Hodel, another North Shore surfer, put it in technical terms: "It's so north, it's pushing all the way across the inside bowl reef. If you're not in the right spot at the right time, the wave is going to pass you up."

The four finalists from last year's Xcel Pro are still in contention: Walsh, Reichle, Nathan Carroll and Hank Gaskell. All four are from Hawai'i.

"If anything, last year gave me confidence that I can make the final; pressure's off," said Reichle, who placed third last year. "Just to make the final again would be a big thing for me."

Former Xcel Pro champions Derek Ho, Kaipo Jaquias and Gavin Beschen also advanced yesterday.

Two other Hawai'i surfers, Jamie O'Brien and Jason Shibata, advanced with last-minute waves.

O'Brien received an 8.33 (out of 10) with about 30 seconds remaining to advance out of his third-round heat.

"It's just a mind game out there," he said. "It's all over the place. You need a 9-foot board to surf this place correct."

In a separate heat, Shibata received a 7.23 score with under 3 minutes remaining, and then added a 5.33 in the closing seconds to win the heat.

Some of the Mainland and international surfers also fared well yesterday.

South Africa's Jordy Smith won the prestigious World Surfing Games at Huntington Beach, Calif., last week, and advanced through his third-round heat yesterday.

"The waves aren't the best today, but it's such a good feeling just to be out there," said Smith, 18. "The waves were 1 foot at Huntington, so it doesn't compare to this. Hawai'i is the place you really want to prove yourself."

Australia has seven surfers remaining, second only to Hawai'i's total.

"It looks a little easier from the beach," said Australian Daniel Ross, who won his third-round heat. "Once you get out there, it's hard to tell what's going on. But that's what surfing here is about. The bigger it gets, the more fun it is."

California's Shane Beschen scored the wave of the day, receiving a 9.57 for a barrel ride in his third-round victory. His two-wave total of 17.07 was also the best of the day.

Japanese surfers Teppei Tajima and Izuki Tanaka also scored impressive heat victories yesterday.

Contest officials have until Nov. 10 to run the final day of competition. If conditions are suitable, it could run today.

For information, call 596-7873 or visit xcelwetsuits.com.

HAWAI'I SURFERS STRUGGLE IN BRAZIL

Hawai'i surfers Andy Irons, Bruce Irons, Fred Patacchia Jr. and Roy Powers all lost in the first round of the Nova Schin Festival yesterday at Imbituba, Brazil.

The four Hawai'i surfers will now have to compete in the second round, where eliminations begin. First-round winners advanced directly to the third round.

The Nova Schin Festival is the 10th of 11 stops on the 2006 World Championship Tour.

Florida's Kelly Slater has already clinched the 2006 world championship, and did not even travel to Brazil for the event.

He is expected to enter the final event of the tour, the Rip Curl Pro Pipeline Masters at the Banzai Pipeline, Dec. 8 to 20.

Kaua'i's Andy Irons is ranked No. 2.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.