DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
The beach at Waimea Bay was closed yesterday because of the high surf, but it didn't stop people from enjoying the sun. While yesterday's swell appeared to be decreasing in the late afternoon, forecasts call for more high surf this week.
Big waves hit
North ShoreLifeguards rescue 12 people
at Waimea Bay as a winter swell
creates a spectacle for many
One man was treated for a cut on his neck from a surfing accident and a dozen more people who ventured out into 25- to 30-foot waves at Waimea Bay had to be rescued by lifeguards yesterday.
Lifeguards "had a fairly frantic morning" using a jet ski to tow overconfident surfers "out of harm's way," North Shore Lifeguard Capt. Bodo Van Der Leeden said.
"There hasn't been big surf like this for most of this winter," Van Der Leeden said. "There were a lot of people wanting to come out."
Yesterday's swell appeared to be decreasing in late afternoon, but forecasts call for more 25-foot high surf warnings tomorrow and Thursday.
That keeps hope alive that the Quiksilver in Memory of Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational contest might be held this year.
The contest is held only when wave faces reach 30 feet or more at Waimea Bay. It has been held only five times since it was created in 1986, the last time in 2002.
DENNIS ODA / DODA@STARBULLETIN.COM
Many people who saw yesterday's high surf said it was the biggest swell they have seen so far this winter. Several surfers took advantage of the waves at Waimea Bay.
The contest wasn't held yesterday because the big waves were "a little inconsistent," event spokeswoman Jodi Young said.
At least 5,000 people were at Waimea Bay to watch the waves, creating traffic backups on the two-lane Kamehameha Highway, Young said.
Some surfers had their boards crushed by the huge waves, she said.
"There were some horrendous wipeouts and extremely dramatic rescues," she said.
A high-surf warning was in effect for north and west shores of all islands. Beaches from Kilauea to Polehale were closed on Kauai. On Oahu Lifeguards discouraged all but experienced surfers from surfing at Waimea Bay and conditions were not good for surfing at other North Shore beaches.
Van Der Leeden complimented police for keeping traffic moving and Oahu Civil Defense workers for helping close Waimea Bay Beach Park last night.
Civil Defense also closed Makua and Yokohama Bay Beaches on the Leeward Coast yesterday because of high surf.
"There's guys surfing at Makaha with waves breaking 15-plus," William Aila, Waianae boat harbor agent said.
But not many boaters went out, he said.
For a town centered around surfing, the talk in Haleiwa yesterday naturally was of the waves.
"It's the biggest I've seen so far this season," said Kai Ohashi, who said it took him 50 minutes to get from his home in Pupukea to work at Haleiwa Surf & Sea.
Most people jamming the Kamehameha Highway weren't headed surfing, he said, "just rubbernecking."
Though Ohashi said he thought the size of the surf was overhyped, he admitted, "It's too big for me."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
