The Monster Energy Pro surfing contest has the potential to energize a surfer for the entire year.

Just ask Pancho Sullivan.

The Sunset Beach surfer won the contest last year, and it provided a wave of confidence that pushed him all the way to a qualifying spot on the elite World Championship Tour.

"If you can win this contest, it really is meaningful," Sullivan said. "I think it's tougher to win this event than it is some of the others because this is a larger field and a lot of the guys in it are (Pipeline) specialists."

The Monster Energy Pro is the first professional contest in Hawai'i for 2006. It will be held on the three best days between today and Feb. 10 at the famous Banzai Pipeline.

"It's the opening of the season, so everybody's starting from zero," contest director Reid Inouye said. "That means they're all going to be hungry for the win."

More than 160 surfers are in the field, and most of them are from Hawai'i.

The Rip Curl Pro Pipeline Masters in December is restricted to the 45 surfers on the World Championship Tour.

"There are only two events at Pipe right now, this and the Pipe Masters, and it's one of the best waves in the world," Sullivan said. "So even though this one doesn't get as much press as the Pipe Masters, it's still just as big in a lot of our eyes. We all know what it takes to surf at Pipe."

Pipeline is famous for its big and treacherous barreling waves. Tahiti surfer Malik Joyeux died after a wipeout on a Pipeline wave during a practice day in December.

The Monster Energy Pro is part of surfing's World Qualifying Series. The top surfers from the WQS at the end of the year qualify for the WCT.

Sullivan did well enough on the WQS last year to earn a spot on the 2006 WCT. Many of the current WCT surfers do not like to enter WQS events, but Sullivan said he is not going to pass up a chance to surf at Pipeline.

"I probably won't do any of the WQS events that are in average conditions," he said. "But this is Pipe. Any opportunity to surf there with just three other guys out is definitely worth it."

Other top competitors in the field include North Shore surfers Jamie O'Brien, Fred Patacchia Jr., Myles Padaca and Nathan Carroll.

Mililani's Kekoa Bacalso, who won the world junior championship in Australia earlier this month, is also in the field. California's Rob Machado is considered the top non-Hawai'i entry.

World champion Kelly Slater of Florida and three-time former world champ Andy Irons of Kaua'i are not in the field.

For daily status of the event, call 596-7873.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.