Lifeguards rescue 6 from surf on north and west shores

A surfer takes a fall after losing his board at Waimea Bay on Oahu's North Shore today. (Photo by Terence Reis)

Lifeguards made six rescues on the north and west shores of Oahu as dangerous waves with faces of 20- to 30-feet came ashore Friday on north and west shores.

A high surf warning is in effect for north shore beaches of most islands until 6 a.m. Sunday.

Kauai County closed all north shore beaches Friday because of the high surf and strong rip currents.

National Weather Service forecasters expect a slight decrease to 18- to 25-foot surf today.

West shores saw 15 to 20 foot waves Friday, declining to 12 to 18 feet today.

The swell is expected to linger through Sunday before lowering gradually through Monday, when another large northwest swell will arrive Monday night.

The waves were generated by hurricane-force winds in the North Pacific earlier this week.

A spokeswoman for the Emergency Medical Services Department said lifeguards rescued five people on the North Shore and one person on the west shore. They also performed 1,380 warnings/preventative actions on west beaches and 750 on north shore beaches.

Lifeguards performed CPR on a 69-year-old swimmer from the water at Makaha Beach on the west side of Oahu Friday afternoon, after he apparently got into trouble swimming with two other people, said EMS spokeswoman Shayne Enright.

The swimmer’s companions noticed him in trouble and helped get the man to shore

Paramedics took him to the hospital in critical condition.