The waves just kept bumpin’ Wednesday providing young and old with plently of swell times in West Hawaii. The waves just kept bumpin’ Wednesday providing young and old with plently of swell times in West Hawaii. ADVERTISING A south swell
The waves just kept bumpin’ Wednesday providing young and old with plently of swell times in West Hawaii.
A south swell continued to fuel set after set of waves for the Big Island’s south-facing shores throughout Wednesday with some sets washing into park areas in Kailua-Kona. The National Weather Service forecast 8- to 12-foot surf with occasional sets reaching 14 feet.
The island remains under a high surf advisory through 6 p.m. despite wave heights forecast to drop to 6 to 9 feet today. NWS Forecaster Victor DeJesus said another south swell should roll in starting Sunday.
Kealakehe High School junior Nalu Locke was one of the many youth who took to the surf at Honls surf spot in Kailua-Kona. With summer now under way, surfing is one of the best, healthy activities Locke said he can take part in outside of skateboarding when the waves are flat.
“It’s fun and you get to do it with all your friends out there,” he said while slipping fins on in preparation to head out in the water. “And, it’s pretty good sized today.”
Despite the “moderately big” surf that offshore winds helped create a more dangerous top-bottom break, Hawaii Fire Department Assistant Chief Gerald Kosaki said no serious injuries were reported at beach parks around the island. Some of the less severe injuries reported were dislocated shoulders and a bloody nose that was the result of someone’s face hitting the sand underwater.
Kosaki also said no beach parks were closed during the high surf on Wednesday. Just the Old Kona Aiport Park was closed Tuesday after high surf sent surges across the beach and onto the runway.
The inundation of Old Kona Airport Park coincided somewhat with a magnitude-5.2 earthquake that struck about 2:12 p.m. prompting residents to question whether the wash-over was the result of a small tsunami.
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center Director Chip McCreery dispelled the rumor on Wednesday saying that the earthquake was too small and too deep to trigger a localized tsunami. He said PTWC data and records show no tsunami was caused by the earthquake.
McCreery and forecaster DeJesus said the wash-up was likely the result of a combination of the advisory-level surf and a 2-foot high tide, which rolled in about 2:25 p.m.
“The earthquake was way too small to directly generate a tsunami,” he said, noting it would likely take a magnitude-7.0 in shallower waters to trigger a tsunami.
Hawaii County Department of Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Bob Fitzgerald said the county beach park was not damaged by the surf, however, debris remained on the beach and roadway after the wash-ups forcing the closure on Tuesday.
No other facilities were damaged by the high surf, he said.
Hawaii County Civil Defense Director Darryl Oliveira said the agency hasn’t received any reports of property damage along the coastline because of the high surf the past couple of days.
While the surf on Wednesday was not as severe as Tuesday, officials continued to monitor the situation closely, especially for waves reach the roadway on Alii Drive, in the Kailua Village area and near Lyman’s surf spot, he said.
No road closures were required, he said. But, officials did close the makai sidewalk of Alii Drive from the Kailua Pier to Hulihee Palace because of crashing waves in Kailua Bay.
Summer high surf is most often generated by low pressure systems in the south Pacific, about 3,500 miles from Hawaii, DeJesus said.
As the southern hemisphere’s winter storms form and move, they generate high seas that eventually reach Hawaii south-facing shores and beyond. The service can forecast high surf within a week of swells reaching the island chain.
During Hawaii’s winter, surf affects mostly north shores since during those months it is storms in the north Pacific fueling the waves. The wave heights are often larger because the storms are in closer proximity to Hawaii, DeJesus said.
“The swell will diminish as it moves away from where it is generated,” he said.
As an example he said that Tahiti, which is closer to the storm, will see 20- to 30-foot waves while Hawaii’s waves will be 8 to 10 feet.
