Photo Gallery: Surf, August 30, 2011

Photo Gallery: South shore swell

Rare 15-foot waves attracted not only surfers but also photographers to Oahu’s South Shore Tuesday to witness the powerful surf generated by a winter storm near New Zealand.

"Crazy!" exclaimed surfer Ronnie Yamada, 45, who brought his camera, not his board, to catch the big waves at Ala Moana Bowls, Diamond Head of Magic Island. "I’ve never seen waves like this since ’94 or ’95. This is unbelievable. I don’t know when the next time it’s going to get this big."

Unlike Oahu’s North Shore, where winters are marked by enormous swells, big surf on the South Shore complicates the job of lifeguards because of the larger number of beachgoers and inexperienced surfers, said Ocean Safety Division Operations Chief Jim Howe.

Lifeguards made 150 rescues and issued 700 warnings from Sandy Beach to the Leeward Coast as of 2 p.m. Tuesday. (Numbers for the rest of the day were not available Tuesday evening.) Of those rescues and preventive warnings, four personal watercraft teams made 100 rescues and took 105 preventive actions.

The National Weather Service is extending its high surf warning until 6 a.m. today, and might have to extend it further.

The weather service forecasts surf of 10-15 feet on south-facing shores through this morning. The surf is expected to diminish to 10-12 feet in the afternoon.

A caution for the harbors remains in effect due to waves breaking across small harbor channels. Swimmers are advised to stay out of any beach area exposed to the surf because of the danger of shorebreak and rip currents.

After a 29-year-old Kailua man’s leash broke and he became separated from his longboard at Bowls, he was grateful for the lifeguards on a personal watercraft who picked him up, and he warned of the strong rip current.

The waves were definitely not for the uninitiated.

Experienced big-wave rider Eala Stewart, 16, who moved to Sunset Beach from Waikiki, said, "I almost drowned. I tried to pull into a barrel. I fell down a wave. I was trying to get some air, but water was just pushing me down. I got held down for about 15 seconds."

Surfer Joey Harpstrite, 18, drove out to Ala Moana Bowls from Kailua, but after surveying the waves with board under his arm, turned around to go home. "I thought it was going to be big, but it was nasty, a little bit too big. The waves are not all put together. … There’s some really good waves and some are too dangerous."

"You gotta know your limits," he said.

Even spectators got wet as waves washed over the usually dry jetty on the Diamond Head side walkway at Magic Island. They outnumbered the surfers at Bowls yesterday afternoon, with veteran wave watcher Dennis Blake, 69, spotting with a pair of binoculars roughly 20 surfers out when there are normally 100.

"Surfing is now a spectator sport," said Blake, a former surfer turned canoe paddler, and pointed to his 8-year-old grandson as the next generation of surfers in his family.

A lifeguard said he had never seen so many broken boards in the Ala Wai Channel next to Magic Island.

"It’s just way too big," said surfer Roy "RV" Vierra, 52, owner of RVS, a Kapahulu surf shop, who returned to Magic Island to watch.

"It’s breaking right across the whole channel. Not even a boat can get out. This is the biggest I’ve seen it in a long time."

North Shore bodyboarder James Murdock, 28, said, "Most of these guys I recognize from the North Shore."

Many surfers like Manny Hatori, 48, admired those who could conquer the big waves, uttering a few oohs during the big sets and watching to see whether they made it or not.

"Oh he made ’em," he said. "Oh he got cleaned out."

"This kind of waves is for the professionals, and I’m not one of them," he said, adding that it’s more about "survival if you’re not really fit."

His surf buddy, Guy Tokunaga, 54, said, "You got to respect the ocean if you want to go home."

Hawaii News Now video: Surf coming up in Waikiki