Dozens of surfers took to the waves Thursday morning at Honoli’i Beach Park in Hilo to take advantage of high surf.
Pono Kodani, a lifeguard at Honoli’i, was happy to see more people surfing and enjoying the swells.
“We have typical trade wind swells, and the waves are bout 1 foot over head, which is abnormal for Honolii, but normal for the system passing by,” Kodani said. “Right when it comes to that certain stage where the waves reach over head, we tend to get more people that don’t normally come out.”
A surfer who declined to give his named said the waves at Honoli’i are normally 2- to 3-feet high, whereas the waves on Thursday were 5- to 6-feet high, which creates some additional fun for the surfers.
Kodani expects another one to two days of high surf from the swell.
A National Weather Service high surf advisory was in effect Thursday for all east-acing shores of Hawaii Island.
The high surf prompted a partial closure of Bayfront Highway due to the high surf and debris.