I am currently in France competing on the WQS (world qualifying contests). The waves are 1/2 to 4 feet on each day but there are some fun waves. I have place 3rd in the 5 star oneill event and i have worked on a new design of board that lets me surf quickly in the small waves but still can hold my turns in the bigger open face wave as well.
I find its important to have a board that will work in different conditions as you can't always change boards in the middlle of a surf or contest heat.