The lure of Oahu's North Shore's waves turned into a permanent stay for a surfer who established a successful business with a brand known worldwide and a contest to help Hawaii's amateur surfers compete with the pros.

“;I just go back to 14 years old when I rented a board and went surfing. It started in New Jersey. Who would've thought?”; said Ed D'Ascoli, founder of Xcel Hawaii Inc., a company best known for its quality wetsuits and surf contest promotions of the Xcel Pro.

“;My father wanted me to be a lawyer, but that didn't work out,”; he said with a laugh.

D'Ascoli marks 25 years this year as a promoter of the Xcel Pro, a three-day event held at Sunset Beach. The event is a professional-amateur surf event that serves as a steppingstone for amateurs to move to the professional level.

It allows local surfers to compete with pro surfers nationwide and young amateurs to gain experience. Top-ranked surfers Andy Irons, Sunny Garcia and Derek Ho started their careers in the Xcel Pro.

D'Ascoli, 55, recalls that there was a lack of contests for local surfers when he started the event with friend Reid Inouye.

“;There were only professional contests and amateur contests,”; he said. “;There was nothing in between.”;

  Half of the 132 surfers participating in the upcoming Xcel Pro competition are from Hawaii. The original intent for the contest remains the same: to help local surfers move forward in the international sport of surfing.

The time window for the event is Oct. 26 to Nov. 10, with a purse amount of $80,000.

D'Ascoli's successful family-operated wetsuit business was sold to Australian-based Billabong International Ltd. last year. He remains involved with the business as president of Xcel International Inc.

Customer service and most of the administrative work is still handled in Haleiwa, where D'Ascoli's offices and factory are located.