High Surf Warning

By Tom

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High Surf Warning

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COASTAL HAZARD MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HONOLULU HI
325 AM HST WED JAN 14 2009

...HIGH SURF WARNING FOR BUILDING SURF TODAY ALONG NORTH AND WEST
FACING SHORES OF NIIHAU KAUAI OAHU MOLOKAI AND MAUI...

...HIGH SURF WARNING FOR BUILDING SURF THIS EVENING ALONG WEST
FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND...

...HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR BUILDING SURF THIS AFTERNOON ALONG WEST
FACING SHORES OF LANAI...

...HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR BUILDING SURF THIS EVENING ALONG
NORTH FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND...

.OVERVIEW...SURF WILL BUILD RAPIDLY ALONG NORTH AND WEST FACING
SHORES OF NIIHAU AND KAUAI TODAY...ALONG NORTH AND WEST FACING
SHORES OF OAHU MOLOKAI AND MAUI AND WEST FACING SHORES OF LANAI
THIS AFTERNOON...AND ALONG NORTH FACING SHORES AND WEST FACING
SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND THIS EVENING. HIGH SURF WILL CONTINUE
INTO THE WEEKEND.

HIZ001>003-006>009-012-013-017>020-023-026-150230-
/O.CON.PHFO.SU.W.0001.000000T0000Z-090116T1600Z/
NIIHAU-KAUAI WINDWARD-KAUAI LEEWARD-WAIANAE COAST-
OAHU NORTH SHORE-OAHU KOOLAU-OLOMANA-MOLOKAI WINDWARD-
MOLOKAI LEEWARD-MAUI WINDWARD WEST-MAUI LEEWARD WEST-
MAUI CENTRAL VALLEY-WINDWARD HALEAKALA-KONA-KOHALA-
325 AM HST WED JAN 14 2009

...HIGH SURF WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM HST FRIDAY...

SURF ALONG NORTH FACING SHORES WILL BUILD RAPIDLY TO 25 TO 35
FEET TODAY.

SURF ALONG WEST FACING SHORES OF THE SMALLER ISLANDS WILL BUILD
RAPIDLY TO 15 TO 22 FEET LATE THIS AFTERNOON.

SURF ALONG WEST FACING SHORES OF THE BIG ISLAND WILL BUILD
RAPIDLY TO 10 TO 15 FEET THIS EVENING.

A HIGH SURF WARNING INDICATES THAT LARGE...DANGEROUS WAVES WILL
BATTER THE SHORELINE AND PRODUCE DEADLY RIP CURRENTS. STAY WELL
AWAY FROM THE SHORELINE.



Ok, so what the hell went wrong?

I've been talking about this "giant" swell for days now with eager anticipation. This morning I dove down the hill to see some of the calmest waters I have ever seen on Maui. Absolutely no wind and no waves!

I guess I should not get too excited by the super strong Kona winds forecast for tommorow.



(Typically wind gusts are up to 50% stronger than the models predict)