The O'Neill World Cup of Surfing is turning into a worldwide affair.

A mix of hometown and international surfers, and a blend of top seeds and underdogs advanced through the round of 64 yesterday at Sunset Beach.

The third day of the four-day contest was run in traditional wave heights of 6 to 10 feet.

"Conditions were insane — glassy, perfect waves," Sunset Beach surfer Nathan Carroll said. "It's like the most fun, playful Sunset you can get."

The contest is the second of three in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.

Carroll was one of several hometown underdogs to advance. As an unseeded surfer, he has competed on all three days of the contest so far.

Carroll and Maui's Hank Gaskell are the only surfers still in contention since the first round of competition.

The top seeds drew byes through the first two days.

"I look at every heat the same way, whether it's a final or the first round," said Carroll, 20. "The best guy in the world is going out there to win, so you have to go out to win as well."

One of the best in the world — Kaua'i's Andy Irons — also advanced yesterday. Barely.

Irons caught a wave in the closing seconds of his heat and received a score of 6.63. If he did not get at least a 5.01, he would have been eliminated.

"Totally lucky," said Irons, who won the World Cup last year. "This was my first session at Sunset all year, so I don't think I was ready. I'm just happy to get through it."

Irons was the world champion from 2002-04, but Florida's Kelly Slater clinched it this year. Slater is not entered in the World Cup, so Irons is the top seed.

"I just want to win one contest here," Irons said. "The Triple Crown is going to be pretty hard to get, so I want to just focus on this contest."

Sunset Beach's Pancho Sullivan won the first event of the Triple Crown, and he also advanced yesterday.

By winning his heat, Sullivan is assured a spot on the elite World Championship Tour for 2006. Only 44 surfers qualify each year to compete on the WCT.

But as the current leader in the Triple Crown race, Sullivan said his focus is not yet on next year.

"I've always been striving for consistency at all three (Triple Crown) venues," he said. "My main focus is always the Triple Crown. It's my world title, or at least that's how I look at it."

The Triple Crown championship is awarded to the best overall surfer in the three North Shore contests.

Wai'anae's Sunny Garcia, who owns a record six Triple Crown titles, also advanced yesterday.

Kalani Robb of O'ahu's North Shore won his heat, but suffered a shoulder injury in the process.

"I pulled in (to a barrel) and right when I was coming out, there was some backwash that caught me," he said. "It extended my body and my shoulder dislocated. It kind of popped back in by itself, but it was painful."

Robb said he would try to compete with the injury on the final day.

Another unseeded surfer to advance was Kainoa McGee of Kaimuki. He was not on the original list of contestants, but got in as an alternate when another surfer failed to show.

"By no means am I a favorite," McGee said. "But I feel like I have a fighting chance."

McGee was a top-ranked bodyboarder in the 1990s. He started surfing around five years ago, and is now the only wave-rider in the world skilled enough to enter both professional bodyboarding and surfing events.

"I'm 34 years old, so my learning curve is not a curve — it has to go straight up," he said. "But I keep the same mentality no matter what event I enter, whether it's surfing or bodyboarding."

Almost all the surfers in the Triple Crown are full-time professionals, but McGee had to take a day off from work as a surfing instructor in Waikiki.

"I don't have the sponsors like some of these other guys, so I have to make a living other ways," he said.

Other Hawai'i surfers advancing were Ian Walsh and Sean Moody, giving Hawai'i nine of the 32 spots still in contention.

The Australian contingent had a strong showing, with 14 surfers advancing to the round of 32.

Australian Mick Fanning had the best two-wave score of the day with an 18.4 (out of 20).

Kieren Perrow, another Australian, had the best single wave of the day, receiving a 9.47 (out of 10) for a long barrel ride.

The final day of the contest will also feature surfers from California, Florida, Portugal, Brazil, South Africa, New Zealand and France.

Contest officials have until Dec. 7 to run the final day of competition. For status of the contests, call 596-7873 or visit triplecrownofsurfing.com.

Round of 32 heats:

1: C.J. Hobgood (Florida), Pancho Sullivan (Hawai'i), Luke Stedman (Australia), Ian Walsh (Hawai'i). 2: Justin Mujica (Portugal), Sunny Garcia (Hawai'i), Beau Mitchell (Australia), Joel Parkinson (Australia). 3: Jarrad Howse (Australia), Jay Thompson (Australia), Shaun Cansdell (Australia), Richard Lovett (Australia). 4: Jake Paterson (Australia), Gabe Kling (Florida), David Weare (South Africa), Andy Irons (Hawai'i). 5: Kieren Perrow (Australia), Maz Quinn (New Zealand), Pat O'Connell (California), Troy Brooks (Australia). 6: Phillip MacDonald (Australia), Kainoa McGee (Hawai'i), Bede Durbidge (Australia), Yuri Sodre (Brazil). 7: Sean Moody (Hawai'i), Nathan Carroll (Hawai'i), Hank Gaskell (Hawai'i), Trent Munro (Australia). 8: Eric Rebiere (France), Tim Reyes (California), Kalani Robb (Hawai'i), Mick Fanning (Australia).

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.