Giant waves raise fears, close beaches

HALEIWA, Hawaii (AP) -- Giant waves crashed onto the Hawaiian coast Wednesday, leaving sand and debris on roads and prompting officials to close beaches amid fears that some waves could reach as high as 50 feet. But amid the debris, world-class surfers gathered for a rare big-wave surfing competition that occurs only when such enormous waves sweep the island's coast.
The waves began coming ashore before dawn, crossing roads and leaving sand and debris, prompting officials to close a portion of a highway on the North Shore of Oahu.
The National Weather Service warned of high surf on north-facing shores of all islands except Lanai until Wednesday night.
"When it's this big, it's hard to tell for sure exactly how big the waves are because they tend to break out off shore on outer reefs," said Tom Birchard, a meteorologist with the federal agency.