LIHU‘E — Large waves on Kaua‘i’s North Shore may be a boon for surfers seeking world-class breaks, but the high surf warning currently in effect can have other impacts as well. Kaua‘i Fire Department officials reported surf with 30- to
LIHU‘E — Large waves on Kaua‘i’s North Shore may be a boon for surfers seeking world-class breaks, but the high surf warning currently in effect can have other impacts as well.
Kaua‘i Fire Department officials reported surf with 30- to 40-foot faces and hazardous ocean conditions from Hanalei to Kekaha on Monday afternoon, and a high surf warning in effect for all north- and west-facing shores is expected to continue at least through 6 p.m. today.
“Be safe by being smart, obey all warning signs posted, and check with lifeguards before entering the water,” Ocean Safety Bureau supervisor Kalani Vierra advised in a county press release that urged swimmers and snorkelers to use guarded beaches at Lydgate, Po‘ipu and Salt Pond.
A swimmer in distress near ‘Anini Beach, an unguarded but generally calm, reef-protected beach between Princeville and Kilauea, swam back to shore on his own and was unhurt, county spokeswoman Mary Daubert said in an e-mail. A bystander had taken a rescue tube and was ready to assist the 30-year-old visitor, she said.
Emergency dispatchers had said the distressed swimmer was approximately 100 yards offshore, presumably beyond the reef and potentially in the path of the large waves.
The incident came on the heels of a rash of drownings in recent weeks as winter swells have pounded the island.
Furthermore, the combination of the high surf and high tide led to flooding on the North Shore even without any added local rainwater, according to Terry Lilley of Save Our Seas.
“If it rained today there would have been a very bad flood as the rivers were at flood levels already. Most of the rivers have huge sand bars built up where they enter the sea and this is causing sediment to build up in the river,” Lilley said in a Monday e-mail.
“The rivers are becoming more shallow. If we get a big rain soon the flooding will be very bad and people could get hurt this time,” she wrote. “There were waves today going up (Hanalei) river.”
For current information about ocean conditions, ask a county lifeguard, visit www.kauaiexplorer.com or call the Ocean Safety Bureau at 241-4984.
