Hawaii was hit hard by a historically huge swell on Friday November 24th 2023. There is no record on Hawaii’s indicator buoys of a swell this large occurring in November. XXL NW swell on tap Friday, easing but large into Saturday. And particularly, as expected, the apex of the energy slammed the North Shore of Oahu. While the now-called “Black Friday” swell was indeed in the forecast, the size of it was not. Closeouts sets washed through Waimea Bay; big-wave surfers went full survival mode and tempted fate at the notorious Outer Reefs of Oahu. Sand had washed across the road in numerous spots along Kamehameha Highway, including over the wall at Three Tables, which is an extremely rare occurrence. The sand and debris created awkward conditions for drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists, who also had to negotiate the surge of spectators lining the highways; especially at legendary Waimea Bay, which provided an early season surfing spectacular.
Ocean Safety reported lifeguards assisted 19 people to safety, mostly surfers in the heavily patrolled bay.
The National Weather Service:
STORM LOCATION/MOVEMENT: Developed off the coast of Japan November 20th, then rapidly intensified while on a great track towards the islands for the first 24-hours before heading toward the Aleutian Islands.
PEAK STORM INTENSITY: 945mb low flanked by a 1026mb high on the 22nd
PEAK STORM WIND/SEAS: 40-65+ knots with seas upwards to 40-50+ feet on the 21st-23rd
SWELL TRAVEL TIME: 2-3 days
PEAK OF SWELL FOR OAHU: Waimea buoy recorded 20 feet at 20 seconds early on the 24th
4K drone footage done with DJI Mavic 2 Pro, Canon R6 - MKII.
Edited in Premiere Pro.
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