Photo gallery: High surf on Oahu’s north shore

Huge waves came as an early Christmas present for experienced surfers and spectators on Oahu’s north and west shores Friday.

The high surf, which also wrapped around to Oahu’s South Shore, kept lifeguards busy.

By 3:35 p.m. they had rescued or assisted 54 people out of the water and also issued about 4,844 high-surf warnings to beachgoers, the city’s Ocean Safety Division reported.

Two women were taken to Castle Memorial Medical Center after venturing into rough ocean waters.

A woman floating face-down was pulled from the water near Turtle Bay, and a 19-year-old woman needed help at Makapuu Beach Park, city ocean safety officers said. Rescue workers also tended to a man who was experiencing seizures after having difficulties in the water.

"It’s been a busy day," said Jim Howe, ocean safety operations chief.

"We really want to encourage everybody to listen to what the lifeguards say and not go out if in doubt."

The high-surf warning that had been in place for much of Friday was replaced by a high-surf advisory for north shores of Oahu, Maui and Molokai, and a high-surf advisory remained in effect for west shores of Oahu through this morning.

The high-surf warning for Kauai, Niihau and the west shores of the Big Island was expected to remain in effect until 6 a.m. today.

At 5:18 p.m. Friday a water spout, or tornado over the water, was spotted near Barbers Point, the Weather Service said.

Surf was expected to peak at 20 to 30 feet with higher sets, especially off Kauai and Niihau, and gradually diminish through the weekend.

During dangerous surf, beachgoers can expect powerful breaking waves and strong rip currents, making swimming treacherous.

Friday’s rescues included 13 people on the North Shore, 30 on the West Shore and 11 on the South Shore, including the woman assisted at Makapuu Beach Park, the Ocean Safety Division said. The woman was alert and oriented, but paramedics treated her and took her to the hospital as a precaution.

Lifeguards also issued 3,725 warnings on the North Shore, 778 on the West Shore and 341 on the South Shore.

National Weather Service forecasters said because of the unusual westerly direction of the swell, south shores of Oahu have been getting a "wrap," which brought waves of up to 5 feet to some southern beaches.

Howe said Christmas Day is the busiest day of the year for ocean safety personnel.