High surf battered the north shores of five islands Monday but was expected to diminish today. A high-surf warning, set to expire at 6 a.m., was to be replaced with a high surf-advisory through 6 p.m. Wednesday, the National Weather Service said. Under the more serious high-surf warning were the north shores of Oahu, Kauai, Niihau, Molokai and Maui, with waves in the range of 18 to 25 feet. That was expected to drop to 15 to 20 feet today, the weather service said. Meanwhile, surf on the east shores of Oahu, Kauai, Molokai and Maui was forecast at 6 to 10 feet today, rising to 10 to 15 feet tonight.
MAUI
Body is recovered from ocean
Maui firefighters recovered the body of a California visitor at the Waianapanapa Freshwater Caves in Hana.
At 12:54 p.m. Sunday firefighters responded to a report of a 33-year-old man from Novato who was stuck in the caves after he dropped his light while exploring the area.
The Maui Fire Department said the victim was with three of his friends from Maui that afternoon. The group was swimming outside of the caves when the victim and one of his friends decided to enter and explore the caves.
While inside, they used light from a cellphone sealed in a plastic bag. The Fire Department said the friend headed out of the cave and noticed the other man was missing. He returned to the cave to look for him but found only the cellphone. The Fire Department said he left the area and called for help. A crew arrived at 1:04 p.m.
The rescue crew saw the victim submerged deep and were unable to proceed without more equipment. Shortly after 5 p.m. a dive rescue team and the department’s Air 1 helicopter located his body about 75 feet from the cave’s entrance.
KAUAI
Bay’s bacteria levels still high
A no-swimming advisory remains in effect for Waimea Bay Beach on Kauai due to elevated levels of bacteria, the state Health Department warned.
The department’s Clean Water Branch posted the advisory Thursday after a water sample indicated a high enterococci count of 192, exceeding the maximum standard of 130 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters in marine waters, according to the state.
The source of the intestinal bacteria was unclear.
The advisory will remain in effect until the count drops to 130 cfu or below, the branch said.
