Yellow alert for ‘The Eddie’ this weekend as north-shore surf rises to dangerous levels
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - There’s a chance “The Eddie” could go this weekend.
At around 4 p.m., organizers issued a “yellow alert” for the Eddie Aikau Big Wave Invitational to possibly run this Sunday as a super-sized swell comes rolling in.
Honolulu Ocean Safety is urging caution along Oahu’s north shore as surf is expected to rise significantly, becoming extremely dangerous and life-threatening over the next several days.
Liam McNamara, director of the Ripcurl Big Eddie Surf Invitational, told Hawaii News Now Sunrise that their team is closely monitoring the swell conditions.
So far, the forecast is looking good.
“We’re pretty confident that we’re gonna be running the event on Sunday, we’re crossing our fingers,” he said. “We have a group chat with all the competitors, everybody is psyching up, everybody is watching the swell like we are.”
A final decision is expected at 8 a.m. Friday.
He said if the alert level changes from yellow to green, it’ll be “all hands on deck” to get the surf contest in motion.
While this is an exciting moment for big wave surfers, officials are also reminding the public about the dangers of the monstrous surf for non-experienced swimmers.
With a high surf warning in effect Wednesday, Ocean Safety confirmed a death at Shark’s Cove.
The call came in just after 5 p.m. for a man who appeared to be in his 20s or 30s.
Lifeguards swam out in the surf, estimated at 18- to 20-foot faces, and brought the man to Ke Iki Beach, where he was pronounced dead.
Earlier in the day, Ocean Safety cleared the water at Shark’s Cove of a small group of people who were swimming in turbulent surf in the tide pools.
Shark’s Cove has no lifeguard tower. The water can look tranquil and then all of sudden, massive waves come pounding in.
Last month at that spot, waves crashed over three men who suffered multiple abrasions.
Lifeguards warn all those wanting to watch the large surf to remain far away from the shoreline and off of all rocky shorelines. Only expert surfers should enter the water.
At Waimea Bay, visitors watched from afar while others basked with the best views, but the powerful waves can lure people too close to danger.
“You do have to be careful. We are standing out there and you don’t realize it’s going to come over the berm where you are standing and then suddenly it does. I’m a scaredy cat so I ran off,” said Amy Purdy, a visitor from Colorado.
Looking from above, waves stretched all the way up the sand.
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Ocean safety officials expected wave heights of 20 to 25 feet on Wednesday. They expect to be even busier on the North Shore Thursday and in the coming days.
“The waves are life-threatening. This is serious surf that we are having. It looks like we are going to have the largest series of swells,” said Lt. John Hoogsteden, Honolulu Ocean Safety.
“I’m just asking people to stay away from the water. Stay away from the ocean and don’t go onto the sand,” said Hoogsteden.
Alex Tao, a visitor from San Francisco who’s snorkeled at Shark’s Cove before, says he’s definitely not going in.
“It’s kind of a bummer because we came all the way out from Waikiki to snorkel. I know nature is nature. I was hoping the waves would be way, way out over there and we could be over here where it’s a lot calmer,” Tao said.
Officials stress while the waves are beautiful, they are dangerous.
Over the next several days, traffic is expected to be heavy in both directions between Haleiwa and Sunset Beach.
First responders are asking that motorists move over immediately for responding emergency vehicles.
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