FL MORRIS / FMORRIS@STARBULLETIN.COM
Waikiki teemed with people yesterday, the start of a long holiday weekend that one official says will be the year's busiest weekend at local beaches.
July Fourth on a Friday, making for one long weekend. Offshore fireworks shows. The annual Macfarlane Regatta. South swells. Beautiful weather. All these conspire to make this weekend at the beach one big . . .
Sea of Humanity
In Hawaii, life's a beach, especially this weekend.
Lifeguards counted more than 99,000 people at Oahu beaches by 10 a.m. yesterday, and that's only at the beaches they patrol.
"This is what Hawaii does for the Fourth of July," said Jim Howe, chief of operations for the city's Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Services Division.
"This three-day holiday weekend is going to be the busiest of the year in terms of number of people," he added.
Fireworks at Magic Island and Kailua Beach, a paddleboard race on the North Shore, and the annual Macfarlane Regatta that brings canoe paddlers to Waikiki helped make for extraordinary crowds.
Add a south swell and sunny skies, and going to the beach just seems natural.
"Both mom and dad are usually off for work and it's just the thing to do -- go to the beach or park or picnic or parade," said National Weather Service forecaster Hans Rosendal.
The "typical summer weather" will continue through the weekend, Rosendal said.
"The trade winds are not too strong, not too weak, just right, I guess, in most areas," he said.
Howe said if the good weather continues, he expects the beaches to be crowded through Sunday.
The only downside to a weekend at the beach may be finding a parking space.
Police expected more than 30,000 people at Ala Moana Beach Park to watch the Fourth of July fireworks show at Magic Island.
All the parking was taken up by 8 a.m. when they closed the Ewa entrance to Ala Moana. The Waikiki entrance was shut down at 1 p.m. because traffic was backing up on Ala Moana Boulevard, said Lt. Jerry Inouye.
People started setting up tents Thursday and the parking spaces started filling up at 4 a.m., he said.
"It was packed," said Jen Manzano, who came at 2 a.m. to get a prime spot for her tent.
Manzano said spending the Fourth of July at Ala Moana Beach has been a family tradition for the last four years.
Waking up early is worth it, she said, "'cause we got a good spot."
Mango Manzano said there isn't a better place to spend the Fourth of July as he helped barbecue shrimps on a hibachi.
"It's gotta be the fireworks," he said. "That's why we come here for the Fourth of July. It's the fireworks."
Tri-tip steaks, hot dogs and short ribs were on the menu besides shrimp.
"You name it, we got it," he said.
It was so crowded at Ala Moana that there was long line for the women's restroom.
"It's always like this around July 4," said Jeannelynn Luis, who had more than a dozen people ahead of her at the entrance to the restroom.
"The men's one never had a line," lamented Jean Wilson, who was also in line.
Howe said lifeguards reported 22 rescues and 184 assists by early afternoon yesterday. But, he said, that wasn't a large number considering how many people were at the beach.
Inouye said there were two or three reports of lost children, but no disturbances or arrests yesterday afternoon.
"People seem to be enjoying themselves," he said.
The biggest problem, as it is every year, is the traffic after the fireworks ends, when 30,000 people at Ala Moana Beach Park plus the people at the shopping center start to go home.
"We can try to minimize the impact, but there is going to be an impact, no doubt about that," Inouye said.
