Big-wave forecast draws horde of sightseers
By Will Hoover
Advertiser North Shore Writer
Even before the promised giant waves were due to reach the northern and western shores of O'ahu today, the migration of sightseers had begun.
Throughout much of yesterday, a 4-mile stream of bumper-to-bumper vehicles inched along toward the North Shore wave mecca on Kamehameha Highway between Hale'iwa town and Pupukea.
The waves were the draw, even though yesterday's were smaller than expected — 20-foot faces instead of 35-foot faces. Today's third "episode" may be smaller, too — a mere 35 feet instead of 45 feet.
"It is still big and dangerous," said lifeguard Lt. Pat Kelly.
Today's swell is expected to arrive as early as this afternoon and peak tomorrow morning.
A high-wind watch was in effect today for Kaua'i, O'ahu, Moloka'i and Lana'i, with sustained southerly winds of 35 to 40 mph and some stronger gusts predicted.
The wind may push the surf farther ashore.
Roy Matsuda, lead forecaster at the National Weather Service, said: "When this wind starts kicking up, what it will tend to do is knock down the wave heights. But if it is a following wind, it will drive the surf further inland. It still could be a property-damaging thing."
Until the dangerous surf subsides, all North Shore beaches are closed for swimming, said Kelly. He said a big part of the lifeguard's job is to warn all but the most experienced surfers to stay away from the treacherous waters.
"Some of these people don't know when it's not safe to go into the water," said Kelly. "We can't tell them not to go in. But we can advise them ... for their own safety, not to go in."
Possibly no fire station on earth has a more breathtaking oceanside view than the Sunset Beach Fire Station at Sharks Cove.
But Capt. George Ku said one thing he and his crew also see frequently during the high-surf season is visitors who, between swells, get stranded in the jagged rocks directly off shore.
"We try to stop them with our hand-held megaphone before they get out there," said firefighter Steve Newton. "But sometimes they don't listen. You'll get multiple people coming in here torn to shreds."
Even as Ku and Newton spoke, not far away a sizable number of wave gazers ignored the yellow "Caution — Do Not Enter" police tape strung almost the entire length of Sharks Cove between the highway and the ocean. Its purpose is to keep folks a safe distance from an unpredictable surf and the cliff edge leading down to the beach.
Some people slipped under the tape to take photos of magnificent sheets of ocean spray. Others simply wanted to get a closer vantage point. One group from Ohio split the difference and set up a picnic table directly beneath the tape.
"This is our first time to see the big waves," said Eileen Steinhilber of Bucyrus, Ohio. Her friends Art and Ruth Claxton, of Somerville, were somewhat confused by the purpose of the police tape, but they noted that Steinhilber's husband, Jim, was the only person sitting on the off-limits side of the table.
Meanwhile, on the west coast of O'ahu, which was dealing with waves up to 15 feet or more and anticipating 20-footers by this afternoon, the state Department of Land and Natural Resources had closed the Makua Beach access road and blocked the entrance of Keawa'ula State Park near Ka'ena Point because of dangerous surf conditions.
Reach Will Hoover at 525-8038 or whoover@honoluluadvertiser.com.
