Surfing: Small waves hamper start of O'Neill pro

Ella Williams of Whangamata. Photo / APN

Series leader Ella Williams continued her dominance of the surfing circuit in Gisborne today , not only taking out her heat but giving the men a run for their money.

Williams, the winner of the most recent New Zealand pro series event at Whangamata, was explosive in the small left-handers at the O'Neill Sequence Surf Shop pro, posting 13.0 out of 20 points in the women's division.

She backed that up by competing in the under-20 men's division, where she progressed through to the quarter-finals.

Despite trying conditions of a small swell and strong southerly winds, Williams managed 8.67 points on her highest scoring ride in her women's heat thanks to a series of fast forehand turns. She is now just one round away from making her third consecutive final.

"I just have to keep going through my next heat to make the final and I just need to stay consistent to do that - consistency is the key."

Williams admitted it is not nice for the boys to be beaten by a girl but she is taking it seriously as they provide a valuable warm-up for her women's division heats.

Williams was not that only notable face in the under-20 men's division, after the welcome return of Alex Dive and Johnny Hicks. The two surfers are the best in the country in their age group and have been competing in Australia for most of the summer.

Dive won his heat, scoring 10.93 out of 20 points, to progress to the semifinals, as did Hicks.

Dive was impressed with the young talent in the competition, but also wary he and Hicks had to front with good performances.

"It is pretty awesome to come back and see these young guys coming through so it is good to surf against them, but in Aussie it is a way more competitive and a different scene. Me and Johnny are saying we've got to make the final, we can't lose to these young guys, but we will see how we go."

The early rounds of the open men's division surfed late in the day, with all the top seeds of the event set to enter the water on Sunday for a big day of competition. The swell is expected to improve, with lighter winds and a cleaner swell for the second and final day.