Defending Quiksilver Pro champion Matt Wilkinson is one of four Australians still in the running for the season-opening World Surf League title.
Wilkinson, local favourite Joel Parkinson, rookie Connor O'Leary and Owen Wright progressed on Saturday to the quarter-finals at Snapper Rocks at the Gold Coast.
Wilkinson eased past Brazilian Adriano de Souza and America's Kolohe Andino in the fourth round on the back of an impressive two-wave total of 17.07.
He'll meet Parkinson in the final eight after the Queenslander won through in a round-five elimination heat against de Souza.
Competition was called off for more than an hour in the early afternoon as heavy winds lashed Snapper Rocks.
"The wind was straight north, which is the worst for Snapper," Parkinson told Fox Sports.
When surfing resumed, the 2012 world champion pulled off a floater for a two-wave total of 17.23 in his head-to-head with de Souza.
"In conditions like these you probably only get like two good waves in a heat, maybe three if you're lucky," Parkinson said.
"The wave faces didn't allow for too many other options. That section was just a dumpy, long floaty one so I just thought I'd hang up there for a while."
Wright, who knocked out three-time world champion Mick Fanning in the third round, meets O'Leary on Sunday.
Wright held on in a nail-biting round-five heat against American Conner Coffin.
Coffin needed a 9.1 score inside the final minute to topple the Australian but fell just short with an 8.5 on his final wave.
Hawaiian world No.1 John John Florence earned a direct passage to the quarter-finals and will meet Brazil's Italo Ferreira.
Fellow Brazilian Gabriel Medina shone in tough conditions, posting high scores of 9.8 and 9.2 in round three and then winning in round four.
Medina has booked a quarter-final with 11-time world champion Kelly Slater, who narrowly passed South Africa's Jordy Smith with a two-wave total of 14.7 to 13.3 in the final round-five heat of the day.
"I'm pretty stoked to be in the quarters - got to get one back on Medina," Kelly said.
"Hopefully there's some bigger surf."
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