Well before 11 a.m., a steady stream of sailboats and power cruisers made its way out to sea from Ala Wai Yacht Harbor, taking up station like some invading force a few miles offshore.

Among the late starters was the crew of Even Money, a 35-foot cruiser berthed near the Ilikai.

“;I just came down to help,”; said Bryson Wailehua-Hansen.

As the others put supplies aboard and prepared to get under way, Wailehua-Hansen expressed confidence that the crew would be able to get out to sea in advance of any dangerous waves.

In the end, he was right.

Waikiki experienced only modest sea-level fluctuations at the apparent height of the tsunami between noon and 2 p.m.

These were most obvious along the sea wall jutting out from between the Royal Hawaiian Hotel and the Sheraton Waikiki next door.

The curved end of the wall was at times exposed to the air, then covered, then exposed again, in a cycle that seemed to last from five to 10 minutes.

These changes were either unnoticed or ignored by the half dozen people who ventured into the water, some able to wade out more than 200 yards with the sea still at knee level.

  Waikiki Tourists Get Rude Awakening

 

Tourists here in the islands were waken up to sirens blaring as the state civil defense issued a tsunami warning Saturday morning.

[ Watch ]

 

At least three surfers enjoyed the break off the Kapahulu Groin, taking advantage of the sunny Saturday weather and the absence of competition.

Waikiki's hotels sprung quickly into action early yesterday to pass on warnings to guests and staff members.

Jason and Lydia Burns, visiting from Portland, Ore., with their children Aidan, 8, Maddie, 5, and Emma, 8 months, said they were informed at 6 a.m. via the in-room intercom at the Sheraton Waikiki that a tsunami was due.

“;They said to go about our morning but to plan to be back in our room by 10 a.m.”;

The family was staying on the 21st floor.

“;When my husband went out to try to get baby food—which we were not able to get—he said it could be potentially very serious,”; said Lydia Burns, with little Emma dozing in a snuggly pack on her back. “;It's more excitement than we had counted on.”;

As police began evacuating the Waikiki shoreline shortly before 10 a.m. yesterday, tourists like Reg Rempel were impressed by the city and state's coordinated efforts.

“;They were very cordial in asking us to leave the beach,”; Rempel, 50, of Kelowna, British Columbia, said from the outside deck of the Aston Waikiki Beach Hotel. “;It's been very informative. And there is very little debris around.”;

Hotels in Waikiki shut down elevators and moved loose objects like chairs and tables inside. Police in the area asked residents and visitors to stay above the third story of any building they could find.

For visitor Joe Frazier, 38, of Edinburgh, Va., it “;gives us something to talk about when we get home.”;

Frazier was expected to fly back home today. Concerned family members from the mainland called early morning to warn him. Then the sirens blared, and Frazier never went back to sleep. It was then that he decided to wander the beach and observe the waters.

“;Plus all the stores are closed so there's nothing else to do,”; Frazier said. “;Everyone's given us plenty of notice and have been real nice.”;