Update: High surf warning canceled for West Hawaiʻi

Update at 4:55 p.m. Jan. 18: The National Weather Service in Honolulu canceled the high surf warning for the west coast of the Big Island. Surf heights have fallen below warning and advisory levels.

Update at 9:06 a.m. Jan. 18: Hawaiʻi County Civil Defense reports that because of the high surf warning and hazardous ocean conditions along the western shorelines of the Big Island, several county beach parks are closed.

Kahaluʻu, Laʻaloa, Pāhoehoe, Kohanaiki and Māhukona beach parks are all shuttered. Other beaches also could be closed with little or no notice.

Civil Defense urges beachgoers to heed all instructions given by ocean safety officials.

The high surf warning, for the entire western coastline of the island from ʻUpolu Point in North Kohala to South Point in Kaʻū, is in effect until 6 p.m. today, with surf of 8 to 12 feet forecast.

Update at 6:02 p.m. Jan. 17: National Weather Service forecasters in Honolulu extended the high surf warning for the west coast of the Big Island until 6 p.m. Saturday as the extra-large west-northwest to northwest swell is still expected to peak tonight and into early tomorrow before steadily declining through the weekend.

Surf of 8 to 12 feet also is still in the forecast for shorelines from ʻUpolu Point in North Kohala to South Point in Kaʻū.

Original post from 5 a.m. Jan. 17: Last time West Hawai‘i experienced warning level surf, a 35-year-old Ohio man died in an apparent drowning after being hit by large waves and swept into the ocean off the Kona Coast, unable to swim back to shore.

That was less than 2 weeks ago.

Let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself as another round of hazardous — and even dangerous — surf is forecast again from ʻUpolu Point in North Kohala to South Point in Kaʻū as a large northwest winter swell steadily fills in through today and peaks tonight.

National Weather Service forecasters in Honolulu issued a high surf warning that will be in effect from 10 a.m. today until 6 a.m. Saturday for the entire west coast of the island.

Surf will build to between 8 and 12 feet along west shores by this evening, and impacts from the latest pounding are expected to be high.

Very strong breaking waves and powerful currents will likely make swimming and other ocean activities treacherous, and breaking waves will make navigating channel entrances dangerous.

People are urged to stay away from western shorelines and postpone entering or leaving channels until warning level surf subsides.

You should also be prepared for coastal road closures, which could happen with little or no notice as ocean water could surge and sweep across beaches, coastal benches and lava flows, potentially impacting coastal properties and infrastructure.

Visit the National Weather Service Honolulu website for up-to-date ocean and weather alerts and forecasts.