Waves big but conditions subpar

Rainy, blustery conditions suppressed spectator turnout Monday on the North Shore for the season’s first major swell.

A high-surf warning for the north and west shores on Oahu, Kauai and Molokai, as well as for the north shores of Maui and Hawaii island, is expected to last through today, according to the National Weather Serv­ice. By midafternoon Monday, Oahu’s North Shore was already seeing some wave sets with 40-foot faces, with the swell not expected to peak until Monday night, Ocean Safety Division Lt. Kerry Atwood said.

Popular beach spots such as Pipeline and Waimea Bay saw visitors in the dozens at any given time instead of the hundreds that often appear in better weather.

A handful of surfers caught what waves they could at Waimea, which was the only spot with any ridable form amid the onshore winds, lifeguards said.

“The size is there but the conditions are not,” Atwood said while fixing his gaze on the bay Monday. “It’s still very dangerous for someone to come out here and venture down to the shoreline.”

More favorable weather is expected today, which could attract more visitors and surfers, he added.

Ocean Safety officials reported one rescue on the North Shore as of 4:30 p.m. at Haleiwa Beach Park, where they say someone ventured into the powerful ocean churn on a surfboard to take a “selfie” photograph.

Additionally, an unidentified professional surfer attempted to surf at Pipeline at about 2 p.m. but instead spent about 10 minutes trying to swim safely back to shore against the frothy waters there, according to local lifeguards and visitors who witnessed the incident.

“I can tell you, he was struggling. I thought he drowned,” said Philip Waters, a visitor to Pipeline from Solomon Islands, S.C. The water “was breaking all four directions on him.”

A surfer rinsing his board at Waimea, who identified himself only as Ben, said he encountered waves with 30-foot faces and “chunky” conditions.

Lifeguards at Waimea and Pipeline worked to keep spectators safely back from the shorebreak. Many of the spectators held their hats firmly to their heads against the wind as they pointed video cameras and smartphones at the froth.

Despite the rain and the wind, T-shirt vendor Singh Dhillon said sales were strong.

“Bigger waves, more business,” he said as about a dozen people waited to buy shirts from him.

Atwood said North Shore lifeguards started work at 8 a.m. Monday — an hour earlier than normal — and that they planned to stay past dark. They also planned to get there early today, he said.

“We were here yesterday and today it’s like, wow!” Erie, Pa., resident Joanie Froess said of the waves Monday. On Sunday “the waves were nothing like this,” she added.