A combination of stormy weather and 20- to 25-foot wave-face heights created wild conditions at Sunset Beach for the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing. The second jewel of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing was called off early yesterday—at 1 p.m.—because strong north winds made the big waves virtually impossible to ride.

The O'Neill World Cup of Surfing is the last men's World Qualifying Series event of the year. Several competitors, such as former world champion Sunny Garcia, need a good result at this 6-Star WQS event to qualify for the 2009 World Championship Tour.

Yesterday he advanced out of his second-round heat in the giant surf and had great time doing it.

“;It's big, it's real challenging, it's not perfect Sunset, but it's fun,”; Garcia said. “;Hopefully, I can keep making heats and if I make the semis or the final I'll be back on the tour next year. That's the main goal right now.”;

Garcia is a six-time Triple Crown champion and has won the World Cup of Surfing twice. He used his years of Sunset experience to advance and make a critical board change in the middle of his heat.

“;Board choice is always important. I started off on an 8-foot, 3-inch (board) and then I changed to a 7-foot, 10-inch. I noticed a lot of guys were getting smaller waves in between and getting good scores,”; Garcia said. “;It's kind of a gamble to get a bigger board and get those bigger waves or take a smaller board and sneak some of those small ones. I got lucky and got a little bit of both.”;

Luck. Experience. Courage. Garcia has them all and they'll play a factor in the rest of his WQS campaign. Garcia predicts the surf will continue to hover in the double to triple overhead range.

“;I heard there's two other swells behind this one, a northwest and another really west like this one,”; he said.

If surf heights are high, Garcia's chances of qualification are, too. He's not getting ahead of himself, though.

“;I try not to get excited because at Haleiwa they had real good weather patterns and I ended up surfing in small waves,”; Garcia said. “;So, you know, I get up in the morning and hope for the best.”;

Competition for the men's O'Neill World Cup of Surfing is likely to resume today with end of the Round 2.

Furthermore, Vans Triple Crown of Surfing officials might also decide to wrap up the Roxy Pro at Sunset Beach today. This is the second to the last event of the women's WCT and the 2008 world championship is on the line among four surfers: Australians Stephanie Gilmore and Layne Beachley, Brazilian Silvana Lima and Peruvian Sofia Mulanovich.

All of these women will surf in the quarterfinals when competition resumes.