A morning deluge seemed to spring life into Sunset Beach yesterday.

When the rain cleared, surfers were treated to near-perfect conditions for the second day of the Xcel Pro men's contest.

"This is a classic Sunset day," Kaua'i's Roy Powers said. "There's some real surf; it's pushing the limits. This is what Sunset is supposed to be like."

Wave-faces were in the 10- to 15-foot range, and winds were light for most of the day. By the end of the day, 40 surfers remained in contention for the final day of competition.

Powers advanced to the fourth round with the ride of the day. Late in his third round heat, he rode through a long, barreling wave and received a score of 9.43 (out of 10).

"Probably the best barrel I ever got in my life here," he said. "That tells you how good it is today."

Also advancing to the fourth round was Wai'anae's Sunny Garcia. He won two heats yesterday, surfing in the early morning and late afternoon.

"The last couple of days, the waves have been really good and they called off the contest, so I got to practice," he said. "That worked to my favor because I'm still trying to get the rust off."

Garcia, the 2000 world champion, is surfing in a Hawai'i contest for the first time since serving three months in prison and six months of house arrest for tax evasion.

"I got cleaned out by one really big set (wave), and it's been a while since I did that," he said. "But after I got through it, I said 'That wasn't that bad.' I'm just happy to be out surfing in waves like this again."

Three sets of brothers also advanced: Mikala and Daniel Jones, Shane and Gavin Beschen, and Wesley and Granger Larsen.

Mikala Jones received a score of 9.33 for a long barrel ride in his third round victory.

"I pulled in and I saw the whitewater crumbling down and thought it was over," he said. "Somehow I popped out."

After winning his heat, Mikala helped younger brother Daniel advance. "He was telling me where to sit and to wait for the good ones," Daniel said.

Also advancing to the final day were defending champion Evan Valiere of Kaua'i, and 2005 champ Ian Walsh of Maui.

"If the waves are like this for the last day, it's going to be a great day," Powers said. "Every guy left has a good shot at it."

For status of the event today, call 596-7873 or visit www.xcelwetsuits.com.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.