High surf warning triggers beach closures across the state
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - All north shore beaches on Kauai and several Hawaii Island beaches were closed Friday due to a high surf warning and dangerous ocean conditions.
The warning has been downgraded to a high surf advisory for the north and west shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu and Molokai and the north shores of Maui until 6 p.m. Saturday.
The high surf warning continues for the west shores of Hawaii Island, where the warning threshold is lower.
On Kauai, the public was told to not enter the water from Ka‘aka‘aniu Beach (also known as Larsen’s Beach, in Moloa‘a) to Kē‘ē Beach, and along Na Pali Coast.
On Hawaii Island, Kahalu`u, Magic Sands, and Mahukona Warf beach parks are all closed, according to Hawaii County Civil Defense Agency.
On Oahu, the Ocean Safety Department said lifeguards made four rescues Friday, one at Waimea Bay and three at Laie Point.
Lifeguards also made nearly 3,500 preventative actions, including warnings to stay away from the shorebreak.
The dangerous waves, although not as big as those for last Sunday’s Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational, still drew hundreds to Oahu’s North Shore.
“I haven’t seen such waves anywhere, not on any of the other islands in Hawaii,” said visitor Kunta Nagda of Texas.
“This is out of the world for me,” said her husband, Miten Nagda.
The big waves are a welcome sight for surf contest organizers.
“We’ve had the Pipe Masters and then kicked it off with The Eddie thereafter. That was amazing,” said Mahina Chillingworth, the co-director of Da Hui Backdoor Shootout in Memory of Duke Kanahamoku, which will held its opening ceremony Saturday at Pipeline.
Those behind the contest are giving thanks to the Hawaiian god of water.
“Kanaloa is definitely providing for us, and just talking about it right now is giving me chicken skin just because I was there, at Waimea, watching it all go down, and it was just a spectacular cultural event.”
The holding period for the Backdoor Shootout begins on Jan. 4. Until then, awestruck visitors are cherishing the memories being made by the power of Mother Nature.
“You hear about it, but until you’re here and you actually get to see it firsthand, it’s a totally different story,” said Stephanie Shields of Ohio.
A high surf warning remains in effect for north- and west-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu and Molokai, north-facing shores of Maui, and west-facing shores of Hawaii Island until 6 a.m. Saturday.
Forecasters are expecting Saturday:
- Surf of 15 to 22 feet in the morning, lowering to 10 to 18 feet by afternoon along north-facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui.
- Surf of 10 to 18 feet in the morning, lowering to 9 to 15 feet by afternoon along west facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, and Molokai.
- Surf of 8 to 12 feet, lowering to 6 to 9 feet by afternoon along exposed west facing shores of Hawaii Island.
Beachgoers are also advised to use extreme caution, as large breaking waves are very dangerous for those standing along the shoreline.
Strong breaking waves and strong currents will make it dangerous for swimming or surfing.
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