The smiles on the surfers were as big as the waves during yesterday's Xcel Pro contest at Sunset Beach.

The waves were huge.

"To surf on a day like this is as good as it gets," Kauai's Danny Fuller said after winning his quarterfinal heat. "I love it. Obviously, I'm happy that I made it out of my heat, but really, I was so happy just to get to surf."

Wave-face heights ranged from 10 to 20 feet yesterday at Sunset Beach. Light winds helped create picturesque conditions.

"Just to compete against one another in quality waves like this is more rewarding than any money or points," Sunset Beach's Pancho Sullivan said after winning his quarterfinal heat.

The third round and quarterfinals were completed yesterday. It was a day of competition that almost didn't happen.

The surf was even bigger in the early morning, so contest officials changed the start time from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m.

"It was total chaos out there this morning," Sullivan said. "But the forecast looked amazing, so give credit to (contest executive director Ed D'Ascoli) for waiting it out and not calling it off."

The late-morning start allowed the waves to reshape into near-perfect form.

"If you were here this morning, you would have thought no way can we surf here today," Haleiwa's Sean Moody said. "But it turned out to be one of the best calls I've ever seen. This is just about the best Sunset I've seen in years."

The only negative with the late start was that the contest could not complete the semifinals and final yesterday. North Shore contest rules prohibit events from running past 4 p.m.

The day started with 44 surfers still in the running. By the end of the day, only eight remained.

The surfers still in contention for the $5,000 first-place check are Sullivan, Moody, Fuller, Myles Padaca, Charlie Carroll, Shane Beschen, Hank Gaskell and Daniel Jones.

Sullivan, the defending Xcel Pro champion, was the standout of the day. He received a near-perfect score of 9.8 (out of 10) in his third-round heat, then dominated his quarterfinal heat with scores of 9.0 and 7.5 for his two best waves.

"I've been humbled out here so many times that I never feel too confident," Sullivan said. "I just go out there trying to push my level of surfing on every wave. But I do have a drive to do well here because it is my home break."

Sullivan is seeking a record fifth Xcel Pro championship. He is the only former Xcel Pro champ remaining in the semifinals.

Fuller placed third in last year's Xcel Pro final, and said the confidence he gained from that performance is still with him.

"Last year was a real breakthrough moment for me as far as surfing out here," he said. "I'm just trying to do the same things I did last year."

Fuller had a unique quarterfinal heat yesterday. He had two successful barrel rides that earned him the win with scores of 9.0 and 8.0. But he also survived a scary wipeout late in the heat, freefalling down the face of a 15-foot wave.

"Out of nowhere, it sucked up and I thought I was going to get barreled, but I got launched from the sky," Fuller said. "That's Sunset for you — so unpredictable. I got a few good waves, so I'm happy."

The day also featured several upsets.

Former world champions Andy Irons of Kauai and Sunny Garcia of Waianae were eliminated in the third round. Irons, who is on a sabbatical from the world tour in 2009, is using the Xcel Pro and the upcoming Vans Triple Crown of Surfing as a warmup for his return to the tour in 2010.

Former Xcel Pro winners Joel Centeio, Gavin Beschen, Evan Valiere, Ian Walsh and Kaipo Jaquias were also eliminated.

The Xcel Pro is the kickoff event for the famous North Shore surfing season. The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing will follow later this month.

Contest officials are hoping to run the semifinals and final today. For updated information visit http://xcelpro.xcelwetsuits.com.