High surf advisory issued for Kauai east-facing shores until Friday evening

Hawaii Emergency Management Agency and National Weather Service Honolulu issued a high surf advisory for east-facing shores of Kauai that remained in effect until 6 p.m. HST Friday, May 22, as strong trade winds near and upstream of Hawaii pushed surf above advisory levels along exposed coastlines. Forecasts called for 7- to 10-foot surf on Kauai’s east shore Thursday night and Friday, enough to make swimming, shoreline crossings and other ocean use hazardous.

Forecasters said the danger could ease a little Friday afternoon if the winds slackened, but conditions were still expected to stay borderline into the weekend, leaving open the possibility that the advisory could be extended. NWS also noted that the east- and south-facing shore advisory threshold has been 10 feet since Aug. 2, 2021, and that Hawaii surf forecasts use full face height, measured from trough to crest, which means a 7- to 10-foot forecast is already close to the line.

The advisory mattered most for exposed east-side beaches and shorebreaks where the island has already seen deadly water incidents and rescues. A 30-year-old visitor from Oklahoma died after being rescued from waters off Moloaa Beach on May 13, and Kauai firefighters with local surfers rescued a distressed swimmer off Keālia Beach in Kapaa in 2022. Swell has also spilled onto roads before: high surf carried debris onto a portion of Pūōlo Road in Hanapēpē, forcing an emergency closure in April, a reminder that wave run-up can become a transportation problem as well as an ocean hazard.

Hawaii EMA said its social media accounts are not monitored 24/7 and directed anyone facing an emergency to call 9-1-1. Hawaii Ocean Safety says to stay out of the ocean and away from beaches and shorelines during severe weather until local authorities say conditions are safe, a standard that fit Kauai’s east-facing coast as the advisory held through Friday evening.