City Ocean Safety officials Tuesday continued to warn the public about high surf on south-facing shores of Oahu.
There were 33 rescues and 625 preventive actions, including warnings by lifeguards, as of 3:45 p.m. Tuesday. Most of them occurred from Kaimana Beach to Kewalo Basin.
High surf conditions statewide were expected to last through at least Wednesday morning, according to the National Weather Service.
The attraction of big surf off urban Honolulu drew hundreds of swimmers, bodyboarders and surfers into the ocean.
"They see the waves, they want to rent the boards," said Aloha Beach Services beachboy Dwight Kinoshita.
Ocean Safety spokeswoman Shayne Enright said the swells might diminish a bit Wednesday but the surf was still dangerous. Ocean currents were also strong, she said.
"It’s still a strong south swell," Enright said. "We were using Jet Skis … rescuing one after the other."
She said the rescues involved inexperienced people being too far out in the ocean; other problems included a broken surfboard and overturned canoes and kayaks.
Ocean Safety officers were busier Monday, when they made 57 rescues and took 745 preventive actions as the south swell rose sometimes to heights of 12 feet.
The body of a swimmer was found Monday afternoon in the ocean off the Hawaii Ocean Science Technology Park in Kona. Autopsy results showed Richard Demby, 26, of Kailua-Kona drowned, Hawaii island police said Tuesday.
Waves generated by a weakening Hurricane Andres could bring moderate surf to east shores of Hawaii Wednesday through the weekend, according to the National Weather Service.