The waves got smaller, but the names got bigger on the second day of the Reef Hawaiian Pro men's surfing contest yesterday.

The second round and most of the third round were completed yesterday in 4- to 6-foot waves (with wave-face heights ranging from 6 to 10 feet) at Hale'iwa Ali'i Beach. It was a significant drop from the opening day of competition on Thursday.

"I was actually a little jealous that I didn't get to surf (on Thursday); that was all-time Hale'iwa," Fred Patacchia Jr. said. "It definitely evens the field when it's a little smaller and inconsistent like this."

The Reef Hawaiian Pro is the first contest in the prestigious Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.

Patacchia, who grew up surfing at Hale'iwa, was one of several big-name surfers to compete yesterday. He is currently Hawai'i's top-ranked surfer at No. 11 in the world.

"There's not that many of us from Hawai'i out there right now," he said. "Guys like Andy Irons and Bruce Irons have been leading the way the last couple years, and I learned a lot from them. If it's my turn to lead the way for the next group of guys, I'm going to hang in there and try to do my part. That's why I want to get good results here."

Patacchia, 26, got off to a good start. He was seeded into the third round, and advanced through his afternoon heat.

"I was kind of nervous out there," he said. "The first heat you surf is always tough, especially when you want to do so well at home. But now that I got it out of the way, I think I can focus a little more."

Patacchia is one of just five Hawai'i surfers on the 2008 World Championship Tour. Bruce Irons of Kaua'i and Pancho Sullivan of Sunset Beach have already announced that they will not compete on the 2009 WCT.

"We're regular people as well as professional surfers," Patacchia said. "We don't have a season like football or baseball, so we're traveling the whole year. The guys who are married with families — guys like Bruce and Pancho — I can see why they want to take a break."

Another big-name surfer competing yesterday was Wai'anae's Sunny Garcia. He owns a record six Triple Crown championships, but said he was disappointed with the conditions yesterday.

"I've been surfing this all year long against little guys and I was hoping for some 15-foot Hale'iwa," Garcia said. "I like surfing Hale'iwa. I won this event (in the past) when it was smaller, but I was also a lot younger."

Garcia, 38, was still able to display his trademark powerful surfing style yesterday, and advanced through his third-round heat with scores of 8.07 (out of 10) and 6.83.

"I'm happy to get through, but I know if the waves are big I have a heavy advantage," he said. "In this kind of stuff, the kids now days, they surf so incredible. They're able to do airs and all those things I can only dream about doing."

Garcia won the world championship in 2000, then retired from the WCT in 2005. After battling legal problems in 2006 and '07 — including a three-month prison term for tax evasion — Garcia decided to compete on the 2008 World Qualifying Series. He needs a strong showing in this year's Triple Crown to get back to the WCT.

Other Hawai'i surfers turning in impressive heats yesterday included Joel Centeio, Dusty Payne, Hank Gaskell, Flynn Novak and Makuakai Rothman.

California's Brett Simpson had the best wave of the day — a near-perfect 9.93 out of 10 in his third-round victory.

Among the surfers eliminated were former world champion Mark Occhilupo of Australia, and former Triple Crown champion Myles Padaca of the North Shore.

The competition could continue today if conditions are favorable. For updates, visit triplecrownofsurfing.com.