Reigning world surfing champion Stephanie Gilmore eased through to the quarter-finals at Bells Beach, dominating her round-three heat.

Gilmore opened a busy Easter Monday schedule by posting the highest wave score of round three at the Rip Curl Pro, a near-perfect 9.70.

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Her 18.37 easily took care of South African Bianca Buitendag (8.67) and Hawaiian Tatiana Weston-Webb (5.03).

Hawaii’s Coco Ho had a much tougher battle in the fourth and last heat of round three, edging past American Courtney Conlogue and Australian Tyler Wright.

While Wright had a 9.07 wave, she was third with 13.74 as Ho scored 13.97 and Conlogue returned 13.77.

Gilmore and Ho moved into the quarters along with two-time defending champion Carissa Moore from Hawaii and Australian Sally Fitzgibbons, who won their third-round heats on Sunday, .

The eight losers from round three now go into the elimination fourth round.

Gilmore, the six-time world champion, has won Bells three times – most recently in 2010.