Hawaii Superferry officials postponed the 350-foot Alakai's return visit to Maui until Wednesday afternoon, after earlier having scheduled a trip to Kahului today to conduct crew training and realign the vessel with its docking barge and pier. (The barge had sustained minor damage because of a winter swell in the harbor and has since been repaired by the state.)

When asked if the Superferry's delay was caused by the surge of waves in the harbor, estimated by one observer to be approximately 8 feet, Superferry spokeswoman Lori Abe said the decision to postpone returning to Maui was based on a "variety of reasons."

"It's not because of the weather," she said, adding that if today's planned visit to Kahului Harbor were a regularly scheduled trip, "Hawaii Superferry would be making the voyage."

She did not have a specific time for the Superferry's trip to Kahului on Wednesday afternoon.

Meanwhile, Maui County officials closed Baldwin and Hookipa beach parks at 2:30 p.m. Monday because of surf that reportedly had faces reaching as high as 60 to 70 feet outside the reef, according to a county news release.

At Baldwin, a tow-in surfer sustained severe lacerations and a possible compound fracture to one of his legs, officials reported. Two lifeguard vehicles – a personal watercraft and an all-terrain vehicle – were picked up at the shoreline and thrown against a picnic pavilion door. The door was broken and sand washed into the open pavilion.

The wave action at Baldwin caused "substantial damage" to the shoreline, piling up sand in the men's restroom and littering debris in the park, according to the county.

"It's rubber boots country in the back parking lot," said Leland Parker, a parks maintenance supervisor. "The waves are washing into the parking area, and the water just gets backed up with nowhere to go."

At Hookipa, wave faces reached 30 to 50 feet high, according to Archie Kalepa, ocean safety operations supervisor. Waves were washing up the stone wall at Hookipa, going into pavilions and carrying sand and debris.

"When it's this big, it's actually a lot easier to convince people to stay out of the water," Kalepa said. "It's the people on the shore who have to be extremely careful."

The beaches will remain closed until they are determined to be safe for beachgoers.

Two surfers also needed to be rescued at Honolua Bay, where surf was estimated to be breaking in the 30-foot range Monday.

Glenn James, senior weather analyst at the Pacific Disaster Center, said the high surf reached a peak Monday and should diminish today and Wednesday, although still remain large.

But another northwest swell is expected beginning Wednesday and into Thursday or possibly the rest of this week, he said.

"This whole week is going to see pounding surf on the north- and west-facing shores," he said.

James saw 1- to 3-foot-high surf in Kahului Harbor on Monday morning. There was "a lot of white water, a lot of breaking waves," he reported, adding there were two or three surf spots in the harbor "and they were all breaking."

"I think there will be more of that for the next several days," James said.

A report to James from an observer at Hookipa estimated waves at 6- to 12-feet high, with faces of 12 to 24 feet.

Surf also was larger than normal in Kihei and Lahaina, where there were reports of 1- to 3-foot-high surf with 2- to 6-foot-high faces, he said.

The surf was generated by a storm in the Aleutian Islands near Alaska, he said. Another storm in the Gulf of Alaska is expected to bring swells to the island beginning Wednesday night.

As far as the weather outlook overall, it's "going to be getting very wet and wild," James said.

Following a dousing by a Kona storm over the weekend, today is expected to be a "transition" to another period of windy and wet to very windy and wet weather Wednesday, he said.

James said he expected a low-pressure area northwest of Kauai to pull moisture and winds out of the southwest, turning normally leeward areas from Kihei to Lahaina into the windward part of the island.

The National Weather Service posted a high-wind watch beginning this afternoon, predicting sustained winds of 40 mph, with gusts of at least 58 mph. James advised residents to "batten down the hatches" by securing trash cans and outdoor lawn furniture.

"We're moving into another prolonged period of off-and-on rain, some of which could be locally heavy with localized flooding," he said.

James said he did not expect a return to normal trade wind weather until early next week.

He also cautioned that winter weather is extremely unpredictable.

"The weather this time of year can change on a dime," he said.

For weather updates, see James' Web site at mauiweathertoday.com.