Kauai officials warn against swimming on north shores amid hazardous surf

Kaua‘i County told beachgoers to stay out of Hanalei Bay and all north-facing shores except Anini Beach after heavy runoff and brown water made the water unsafe. County lifeguards said no recreational water activities should take place along those shores, and officials posted warning signs while monitoring the area.

The hazard was not expected to fade immediately. National Weather Service Honolulu’s surf forecast showed north-facing surf at 3 to 5 feet tonight and 4 to 6 feet Monday, with a new slightly larger north swell arriving late tonight and peaking Monday. The marine forecast also said a small medium-period northwest swell was keeping surf up along north and west shores today.

Ocean Safety Bureau’s role is prevention, not reaction. The bureau says it exists to promote prevention and safety awareness, and the county directed the public to speak with a county lifeguard at any station or call 808-241-4984 for up-to-date ocean conditions and safety guidance. Anini Beach remained outside the advisory, making it the only north-shore spot the county did not include in the warning.

The advisory also fits a pattern that Kaua‘i residents have seen repeatedly. The county has issued similar north-shore warnings on Jan. 12, Feb. 24, March 23, March 24, April 6 and April 7, each time tying unsafe swimming conditions to high surf, strong currents or runoff. National Weather Service Honolulu says high surf advisories and warnings in Hawai‘i are issued with civil defense and water-safety partners, and its surf observations come from county lifeguards and cooperative observers.

Families, surfers and tour operators should move plans off the water and keep children and visitors away from the shoreline until conditions improve. On a day like this, the county's message is narrow and practical: Anini Beach is the exception, Hanalei Bay and the rest of the north-facing coast are not.