By Ken Ige, Star-Bulletin
Alice Tracy yesterday inspected the damage to a
vacation rental she manages on the North Shore. Waves
reached 30 feet in height in many places and were
40 feet high at Kaena Point.

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Huge waves subside;
some beaches reopen

Today's waves are expected
to top out at 20 feet, and people are
still kept out of the water

By Jaymes Song
Star-Bulletin

North Shore waves grew so large yesterday that a big surf contest for the world's elite surfers was canceled.

Ocean Safety officials reported swells reaching heights of 40 feet at Kaena Point.

According to the National Weather Service, the majority of the waves that pounded the North Shore were from 25 to 35 feet high.

All beaches in the area were closed.

Colossal sets of waves thundered in and white water blanketed Waimea Bay as hundreds of people watched in awe.

Surf competition director George Downing said waves have to be at least 20 feet high for the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Memorial Contest but that conditions at Waimea Bay yesterday were too hazardous. "Our first concern is for the contestants," said Downing. "Everything else is secondary."

Lifeguards responded to only one rescue by yesterday afternoon, when a body boarder was recovered at 12:20 p.m. at Laniakea.

A man on a motorized water scooter also reported he lost his craft near Haleiwa. According to lifeguard Capt. Bodo Van Der Leeden, "It was eaten by the waves."

"Things went pretty well," said Ocean Safety Director Jim Howe.

"We planned for this. And the plan is going off flawlessly."

By Tony Chang, Associated Press
Two men on a jet-ski brave the mountainous surf
at Waimea Bay yesterday.

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Van Der Leeden said he had extra staff brought in to help keep surfers and spectators off the beaches.

In addition to the heightened lifeguard crews, fire, air rescue, Coast Guard, Army and Oahu Civil Defense units all were on standby during the day.

A concern for today is beach erosion reported at Haleiwa, Makaha, Waimea, Kaena Point and Maili.

The erosion could cause potential problems to roads and structures, Howe said.

High surf crashed into two vacation homes at Ke Iki Road, with one of them receiving extensive damage.

Manager Alice Tracy found a coconut tree lodged under a refrigerator when she examined the homes, which were both unoccupied during the flooding.

"I always say it could've been worse," Tracy said.

"I'm just thankful no one was hurt."

Howe said during a high-surf spectacle, people must watch from a distance or else they could get washed away.

"Watch it like a volcano," he cautioned. "Watch. Just don't get too close."

Heavy traffic congestion plagued the entire North Shore yesterday.

Swells were expected to be around 20 feet high this morning, subsiding to 10 to 15 feet by the afternoon, said National Weather Service forecaster Alan Olson.

He said the high surf was caused by a low-pressure system northwest of the islands.

All North Shore beaches were open this morning, except for Kaena Point State Park.

However, lifeguards are not allowing anyone to enter the waters.