The early bird might be able to catch the tail end of the first large North Shore swell of the year this morning, but the surf is expected to slowly diminish as the day goes on.

The National Weather Service is expected to allow a high surf advisory to expire at 6 this morning. Surf along the north-facing shores is forecast to be below the 15-foot advisory levels today and continue to drop.

The advisory was in effect for north-facing shores of Ni'ihau, Kaua'i, O'ahu and Maui, which saw waves in the 14- to 18-foot range yesterday. Waves ranging from 10 to 14 feet were observed on west-facing shores of those islands.

At 2:30 p.m. yesterday, there had been no reports of waves crossing roads on O'ahu's North Shore or other wave-related damage, said Bryan Cheplic, city Emergency Services Department spokesman. There were eight rescues and 1,200 verbal warnings issued yesterday by lifeguards on the North Shore.

"This is by far the biggest swell we've seen this year," Cheplic said yesterday.

Although the surf is expected to subside, Cheplic said beachgoers should remain cautious and check with lifeguards before getting into the water on the North Shore.

This week's swells were produced by the remnants of former super typhoon Choi-wan as it passed south of the Aleutian Islands. There are no new weather systems in the area and no surf advisories are expected at least through Wednesday, said Ian Morrison, NWS forecaster.