Australian Mark Mathews rode picturesque barreling waves at the Banzai Pipeline yesterday morning.

By the afternoon, he was merely trying to survive in stormy waves at the same beach.

The fickle nature of the Banzai Pipeline was on display as the third day of the Monster Energy Pro was completed in 10- to 15-foot waves.

The third round was completed in near-perfect conditions in the morning, but only six heats of the fourth round could be completed in the afternoon because onshore winds were wreaking havoc on the waves.

"It was beautiful in the morning," North Shore surfer Tory Barron said after winning his afternoon heat. "But now it's like victory at sea. Thank God everybody made it safe through the day, because it can be dangerous out there."

California's Dane Reynolds also won two heats yesterday, and his scores were reflective of the conditions.

In his morning heat, Reynolds received scores of 9.5 (out of 10) and 8.0 for nice barrel rides. His total of 17.5 was the high total of the day.

In his afternoon heat, Reynolds received scores of 6.0 and 2.75 for his two best waves.

"It was big in the morning, but it was clean, so you kind of knew what you were getting into," he said. "But now it's scary. The waves aren't barreling, and it's just messy."

Mathews' morning performance was the talk of the day.

He scored a perfect 10 for an exceptionally long barrel ride to win his third-round heat. Some of the other competitors were describing it as the best wave of the winter season.

"It was definitely the best wave of my life, for sure," said Mathews, 24. "I knew I'd come all this way, so I wanted to get the best wave."

Mathews said riding through one of Pipeline's famous barrels was "like the hugest round room."

"Like the whole ocean was surrounding me," he said. "The air got drawn back in and sucked me back inside, then all that air got blown back out and flew me out the side. It was amazing."

But like the other competitors, Mathews had a different perspective by the afternoon.

"Just getting out to the back to catch a wave was hard," he said.

Maui's Ian Walsh was about to start his fourth-round heat when the competition was postponed for the day.

"I didn't want to be the one to complain because we all have to surf in the same conditions," Walsh said. "But I'm glad they called it off. I think it's better to wait and see what shows up tomorrow. When the waves are good here, it's a better show for everybody."

The contest needs at least one more day to determine a champion. For updated status of the contest, call 596-7873 or visit www.monsterenergypro.com.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.