Pancho Sullivan is taking his family on a yearlong road trip around the world in 2006.

Sullivan recently qualified to compete on surfing's elite World Championship Tour. Only 44 surfers qualify each year to compete on the WCT, and Sullivan will be one of five from Hawai'i on the 2006 tour.

"I really enjoy competing against the top surfers in the world, and for the last 12 years, I had the opportunity to do that here on the North Shore," said Sullivan, who is from Sunset Beach. "Now I want to see how I can do at other places around the world."

At 32, Sullivan is the oldest "rookie" ever to qualify for the WCT.

Until this year, he kept his surfing mostly on O'ahu's North Shore. But after winning the Monster Energy Pro at the Banzai Pipeline in February, he decided to enter more events on the World Qualifying Series.

"I just wanted to see if I was capable of doing it," he said. "I flew around the world and didn't get to surf in any waves over 3 feet, except for maybe two days. It wasn't ideal, but I managed to get points here and there to give myself a chance coming back to Hawai'i."

The final two events of the 2005 WQS were staged on O'ahu's North Shore, and Sullivan fared well in both. He won the OP Pro Hawai'i at Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach, and then made it to the quarterfinals of the O'Neill World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach this week.

As a result, he finished the year ranked No. 8 on the WQS standings (the top 16 get called up to the WCT).

Prize money and sponsorship contracts increase for surfers on the WCT, and Sullivan said he will use the extra income to bring his wife Haunani and their 16-month-old daughter Kirra to every contest.

"I want them to share this experience with me," he said. "They helped me get here."

The 2006 WCT includes stops in Australia, Tahiti, Fiji, South Africa, Japan, France, Spain, California and Brazil.

The other Hawai'i surfers on the 2006 WCT are Andy Irons, Bruce Irons, Fred Patacchia Jr. and Roy Powers.

But before Sullivan embarks on the 2006 tour, he has business to finish in 2005. Sullivan is the current leader in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing standings.

The final event of the Triple Crown is the Rip Curl Pro Pipeline Masters at the Banzai Pipeline. It will run when the waves are favorable between today and Dec. 20.

For status of the event, call 596-7873 or visit www.triple crownofsurfing.com.

Reach Dayton Morinaga at dmorinaga@honoluluadvertiser.com.