Posted at 11:35 a.m., Wednesday, July 11, 2001

Forecasts send surfers to the beach

• Today's Surf Report

By Mike Gordon
Advertiser Staff Writer

A lone rider enjoys a solo wave as the fire department boat Moku Ahi returns from a distress call off Kewalo Basin. Rescuers were not able to find any surfer in distress or the person who made the call early this morning. Richard Ambo • The Honolulu Advertiser

It may not have been as big as some forecasts, but the surf that rolled in along south shores today was still spectacular.

The National Weather Service predicted surf of 6 to 12 feet, with sets declining tomorrow. Waves as high as 16 feet, a bona fide rarity on the south shore, were predicted by one forecaster, while another called for waves of 3 to 4 feet.

The Honolulu Fire Department was called at 6:51 a.m. to help a surfer in trouble off Kewalos. A woman told dispatchers the surfer was waving for help, but when the department fire boat, Rescue 1, Air 1 and Ladder 2 arrived, there was no sign of a problem, said Capt. Rich-

ard Soo.

"What these kind of conditions bring out is the real amateurs who think that because of the crowd they ... are safe," Soo said. "People should know their skill levels and not venture out unless they are really experienced."

Because of a recent change in the way waves are measured, more forecasts are using heights based on the front, or face, of the wave. Hawaiian-style measuremeants used the back, which nearly halved the wave height.

Forecaster Pat Caldwell said on his Web site that sets may commonly be 25 percent to 50 percent smaller than maximum wave-heights forecast, and noted that size can vary greatly from spot to spot. .

"Don't get so hung up on numbers," Caldwell advised. "Take what you catch and be thankful."