Three brothers to surf against each other in big surf contest

If you’re a surf fan, you’re not going to miss this showdown.

BROTHER SURFERS: Brothers Dane (L), Tanner and Patrick (R) Gudauskas

Three San Clemente bros — the Gudauskas brothers – are going to be battling it out at the O’Neill World Cup of Surfing, the second leg of the Triple Crown of Surfing.

They’re all going to be in heat 6 in the round of 32 , sometime between 5:00 and 6 tonight.

It’s the last contest of the World Qualifying Series, and Tanner Gudauskas is on the cusp of making the World Tour next year. Brother Pat is in for sure. The World Tour is the major leagues for surfing, where they’ll be competing against the best in the world for the title of World Champ.

“I saw my brother out there in the heat before me, and it was really inspiring,” Dane Gudauskas said. “It really inspired me to get out there and surf as hard as I could.”

Either way, this heat means at least one of the Gudauskas brothers will be out — making the contest bittersweet for the family.

According to Register reporter Gary Warner — who is in Hawaii at the contest — the brothers haven’t surfed in the same heat in a contest since high school. Keep posted for a story and slide show of the event later today.

The surf at Sunset Beach is insane, massive and messy right now during the contest, with waves hitting 15 to 20 feet faces.

Huntington Beach’s Brett Simpson took the win in his heat, moving on to the next round.

It’s been a stellar year for Orange County up-and-coming surfers, many of whom are headed to the World Tour. Read more here.

Check out live cams of the contest here.