OP PRO SURFING CHAMPIONSHIPS : TICKET TO RIDE : Billy Gets Heat, Then Gets Through His Heats : Surfing: After receiving a ticket for jaywalking, Dana Point pro gains third round at Huntington Beach Pier.

Chris Billy’s first day at the Op Pro surfing championships didn’t exactly start off the way he had planned. With his surfboard tucked under his arm, Billy, of Dana Point, was already walking across the sand early Monday morning when he heard a voice boom from a loudspeaker on Pacific Coast Highway.

The voice belonged to a CHP officer, who stopped Billy and ticketed him for jaywalking across the highway.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Billy. “I thought jaywalking had been abolished with capital punishment.”

But Billy’s day ended much better than it began. He advanced through both his heats to reach today’s third round at the Huntington Beach Pier.

Also advancing were John Parmenter of Huntington Beach, Matt Archbold of San Clemente, Gary Clisby of Huntington Beach, George Hulse of Dana Point, Joe McNulty of Capistrano Beach and Mike deNicola of Mission Viejo.

Billy, 23, won his first heat and finished second to Parmenter in the second round. The top two surfers in each heat advance to the next round.

The second-round heat provided some hectic moments for Billy, however. He had to hold off a late comeback by Cardiff’s Colin Smith to hold onto second place.

“I was kind of scared,” Billy said. “I had the best wave of the heat (earlier) and I chunked it and fell.”

Still, it appears Billy is back on track this summer after taking part of last year off.

“My surfing’s better now than ever,” he said. “I have more vitality now. I was burned out last year. I just got back into form.”

Billy has been busy surfing on the Professional Surfing Assn. of America tour this summer. He’s also helped form an environmental group in South Orange County known as the Salt Creek Core.

“A lot of the surfers have been getting a bad reputation around Salt Creek,” Billy said. “They’ve been spray-painting bridges and stuff like that. We don’t want the (beach) to get blackballed. So all the surfers decided we would put a little back into what we’ve taken out of the area.”

The 50-member group has cleaned up area beaches and undertaken other environmental projects. The group includes surfers Vince De La Pena of Laguna Niguel, Pat O’Connell of Laguna Niguel, Mike Cruickshank of Dana Point and Billy’s brother, Kevin. They even made defending world-champion Martin Potter of Newquay, England, an honorary member.

“It started up about two months ago as a joke,” Billy said. “Now we’ve printed up T-shirts for a privileged few.”

Billy thinks that innovative former world champion Tom Curren made one of his best moves ever when he decided to take a prolonged break from the Assn. of Surfing Professionals tour last year.

“Curren did a smart thing taking last year off,” he said. “He gave the judges a year off from watching him. Then he came in at Santa Cruz (last spring) and blew people’s minds. It was like, ‘Heeee’s baaaack.’ “

Gary Clisby of Huntington Beach, who cruised through his heats Monday, says several of the top pros don’t like surfing at Huntington.

“It’s kind of crowded and there’s not a lot of natural beauty here,” he said. “You have to get this in perspective. In a few weeks (after the Op), these guys will be surfing in the south of France.”

The third round of the men’s competition begins at 7 a.m. today. Twelve surfers earned automatic berths in the third round, including Dino Andino of San Clemente, Noah Budroe of Huntington Beach and Shane Beschen of San Clemente.

The top two from each of eight third-round heats will advance to the first round of today’s main event to compete against the top-seeded surfers, including Tom Curren of Santa Barbara and Richie Collins of Newport Beach.

Surfing Notes

Kelly Slater of Cocoa Beach, Fla., last year’s Op junior champion, won both his heats to advance to the third round. . . . Michael Ho, once one of the top pros who has been surfing on the tour part-time the last few years, was upset in the first round by Sean Yano of Hawaii and John Parmenter of Huntington Beach. . . . Andy Fomenko of San Clemente was eliminated in the second round along with Brian McNulty of Capistrano Beach, Branden Faber of Laguna Beach and Vince De La Pena of Laguna Niguel. . . . The women’s competition will resume at 7 a.m. Wednesday with four second-round heats.

Results

Men

First round

(Top two advance to second round)

Heat 1--Kelly Slater (Cocoa Beach, Fla.), Matt Archbold (San Clemente). Heat 2--Gary Cruickshank (Narrabeen, Australia), Josh Palmateer (Triggs, W. Australia). Heat 3--Shane Herring (Australia), Andy Fomenko (San Clemente). Heat 4--Dave Parmenter (San Luis Obispo), Scott Daley (Hermosa Beach). Heat 5--Brian McNulty (Capistrano Beach), Jamie Brisick (San Clemente). Heat 6--Amaury Pereira (Brazil), Dave Davidson (Australia). Heat 7--Merrick Davis (Manly, Australia), Trevor Christ (Encinitas). Heat 8--Flavio Padaratz (Florianapolis, Brazil), Gary Clisby (Huntington Beach). Heat 9--Jamie Kasdaglis (Australia), Brett Warner (Sydney, Australia). Heat 10--Barry Van Der Muellen (South Africa), Chuy Reyna (Oceanside). Heat 11--Joe McNulty (Capistrano Beach), George Hulse (Dana Point). Heat 12--Shane Powell (Australia), Sean Munro (Australia). Heat 13--Taylor Knox (Carlsbad), David Gonsalves (Hawaii). Heat 14--Mike deNicola (Mission Viejo), Branden Faber (Laguna Beach). Heat 15--Kaipo Jaquias (Hawaii), Ryan Alagich (Manly, Australia). Heat 16--Michael Barry (Sydney, Australia), Todd Miller (Costa Mesa). Heat 17--Todd Jacobs (Manhattan Beach), Matt Cattle (Australia). Heat 18--Sean Yano (Honolulu, Hawaii), John Parmenter (Huntington Beach). Heat 19--Chris Billy (Dana Point), Pocho Ahina (Hawaii). Heat 20--Colin Smith (Cardiff), Vince De La Pena (Laguna Niguel).

Second round

(Top two advance to third round)

Heat 1--Slater, Cruickshank. Heat 2--Archbold, Herring. Heat 3--Clisby, Pereira. Heat 4--Merrick, Padaratz. Heat 5--Hulse, Munro. Heat 6--Warner, Joe McNulty. Heat 7--Alagich, deNicola. Heat 8--Jaquias, Gonsalves. Heat 9--Ahina, Jacobs. Heat 10--John Parmenter, Billy.