Big surf forecast to decrease Monday
The high surf that was thrashing the North Shore of Oahu and other coastlines around the isles is expected to diminish Monday.
The surf was the result of a long-period northwest swell expected to peak by daybreak, the National Weather Service said.
The north and west shores of Kauai and Niihau were getting 12- to 16-foot surf Sunday. The north shores of Oahu, Molokai and Maui were getting 10- to 15-foot surf.
A high-surf advisory remains in effect until 6 a.m. Monday.
Racer rescued from ocean
A 52-year-old man participating in the Lavaman Triathlon in Waikoloa on Hawaii island Sunday was found floating unconscious in the ocean during the swimming portion of the race, Hawaii County fire officials said.
Firefighters arrived at Anaehoomalu Bay just before 8 a.m. to find the man without a pulse and not breathing.
Rescuers used a motorized watercraft to bring the man back to shore. Paramedics treated and revived the man and took him in critical condition to a hospital.
Gun ownership rises on Kauai
Kauai had the fewest applications for firearms of all the state’s counties in 2014 but still had 80 percent more than the county anticipated.
The number of applications on the Garden Isle increased for the fourth straight year. County officials attribute it to the growing popularity of hunting and an increase in population.
The county also has experienced a rise in the number of imported registrations — individuals with registered firearms who moved to Kauai, said county spokeswoman Sarah Blane.
According to the state Attorney General’s firearm registration report, which was released recently, there were 1,741 applications processed by the Kauai Police Department last year. That was slightly up from 2013, when there were 1,713 applications.
Officials approved 1,563 of the permits, registering 3,807 firearms. That also outpaced 2013, when 3,651 firearms were registered.
"It appears that hunting is by far the No. 1 reason," Blane said.
