Torrential Rain and Flash Flooding Combine to Create Dangerous Conditions
Around Christmas, just after the Pipeline Masters finished running, Oahu and the rest of the Hawaiian Islands experienced a storm with Kona winds and tons of wind and rain. These are the conditions some surfers like Jamie O’Brien wait for every year to surf a novelty wave at Waimea Bay. The Waimea River backs up and floods upstream, forcing locals to dig a channel in the beach at the mouth of the estuary and release the flood waters. This particular event was historic, with massive waves, tree trunks and debris flowing out of the channel creating a hazardous situation to say the least!
