300 rescued off Hawaii beach after swells churn ocean like ‘a giant washing machine’

Lifeguards patrolling Honolulu’s popular beaches rescued more than 300 people Tuesday, May 3, after a high surf advisory went unheeded.

Honolulu Ocean Safety and Lifeguard Division reported that was just the number they brought ashore before 5 p.m.

The dangerous conditions continued Wednesday, May 4, with the National Weather Service predicting swells as high as 14 feet for south facing shores, and 16-foot swells for north facing shores.

“Strong breaking waves” and rip currents are also predicted, “making swimming difficult and dangerous,” the NWS warned. The treacherous conditions were blamed on a “combination of northwest and south swells” according to Hawaii Beach Safety.

Rescues eventually exceeded 320 people, including many surfers who “were lost or unable to paddle to shore,” the Honolulu Star-Adverser reported. In some cases, the surfers reported their boards were broken, the site said.

Some beachgoers likened ocean conditions to “a giant washing machine,” and complained the swells were faster and larger than anticipated, station KHNL reported.

“This swell is absolutely one of the biggest we’ve seen in the last year or two,” Lt. Dennis Coglietta of Honolulu Ocean Safety told the station. “It came in super quick, and is really close interval, and you see there’s a lot of energy out there.”

This story was originally published May 4, 2022 at 1:10 PM with the headline "300 rescued off Hawaii beach after swells churn ocean like ‘a giant washing machine’."