City ocean safety officials are expecting a more active surf season on Oahu’s North Shore and Leeward Coast compared with last year and advise members of the public to pick a beach that best matches their water skills.
Ocean Safety Division Chief Jim Howe said fall and winter waves can be "deadly."
"These waves are big enough to kill you," Howe said Thursday at a news conference at Chun’s Reef on the North Shore.
The city is putting into full operation a second rescue watercraft on the North Shore to meet demands caused by the area’s popularity.
A number of surfing contests are planned for the remainder of the year, including the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing and the big wave Quiksilver In Memory of Eddie Aikau Invitational.
Howe said the North Shore attracts 2 million visitors annually — and as many as 15,000 on a single day during the winter big-wave season.
He said ocean safety personnel in 2011 conducted 800,000 preventative actions along Oahu’s shoreline, including advising beachgoers to stay out of high-surf areas.
On the North Shore, ocean safety officers made more than 200 rescues in 2011, the city said.
At the briefing, National Weather Service meteorologist Michael Cantin said more storms are expected on Oahu’s shores than last year because weather patterns are shifting away from La Nina conditions.
He said the waves may be bigger than normal.
"We should see plenty of action," Cantin said.
Cantin said because waves from the north arrive relatively unimpeded, their energy is strong.
"The small surf can kill you, too," he said.
Howe said ocean conditions can change quickly during high-surf season. What might have been a nice place to snorkel one day can be dangerous the next.
He said beachgoers should also be aware of shoreline conditions in areas where there may be calm lulls of 30 minutes between sets of big waves.
"Our message is, ‘Please know where to go,’" he said.
Information about ocean conditions at various Oahu beaches may be found at hawaiibeachsafety.org.
