Big surf keeps Hawaii lifeguards busy
 | Photo gallery: Huge waves draw surfers, watchers to North Shore |
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Video: High surf hits Oahu's North Shore |
By Eloise Aguiar
Advertiser North Shore Writer
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For the second day in a row, city lifeguards were kept busy yesterday on O'ahu's north and west shores. But, while they issued more warnings and offered more assistance, they had to rescue fewer people.
Subsiding waves — from as high as 20 feet — resulted in more swimmers and accounted for the increase in warnings, said Bryan Cheplic, spokesman for the city Emergency Services Department.
Lifeguards issued 1,100 warnings or preventive actions yesterday, assisted 30 people with watercraft and rescued five. On Wednesday lifeguards took 950 preventive actions and rescued nine people.
"With the declining swell there was a much higher number of people in the water," Cheplic said in a press release.
On the North Shore, lifeguards initiated 900 warnings, 30 watercraft assists and one rescue. West shore beaches saw 200 preventive actions and four rescues.
A large northwest swell that brought waves as high as 20 feet yesterday will gradually subside through tomorrow. But another large north-northwest swell is expected Sunday that could bring waves with 30-foot faces, Cheplic said.
He advised beachgoers to take precautions and heed lifeguards' warnings.
While yesterday's waves were big, the conditions were too sloppy to hold the sixth annual Da Hui Backdoor Shootout at Pipeline in Sunset Beach, said spokeswoman Mahina Chillingworth. But there is a lot of pressure to complete the competition that has until Sunday to declare a winner.
As of yesterday Jamie O'Brien was in the lead, Chillingworth said.
Sponsors of the Quicksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau had also hoped to kick off their competition but the waves were not big enough, said Judy Wilmott, event spokeswoman.
The Sunday swell may generate big enough waves, higher than 20 feet Hawaiian style, to hold the event but Wilmott said it was too soon to tell. Organizers have until Feb. 29 to complete the competition.
"Traditionally late January, February is the biggest time for waves," she said.
Reach Eloise Aguiar at eaguiar@honoluluadvertiser.com.
