Remnants of Lester

Remnants of Hurricane Lester, now downgraded to a tropical storm, moved away north of the islands.  Surf was spectacular, suppose to be up to 20 feet, on our east shore.  It wasn't that, but it was exciting to watch roller after roller come in, often those in the back obliterating the horizon line.

Hawaiian monk seal, Kolohe, was hauled out on the east end of Sandy Beach.  Heard that he had tried to come out further up by Lanai Lookout, but the ledge was awash.  The tides were not yet peaked at midday and the waves began to roll him around.  He moved further up the beach and left soon after.   When I first saw him, he was snug up against a log and barely visible.  Took a few fotos and then walked up the beach to the other end.   Waves seemed bigger down where he was, altho there were quite a few surfers out at the other end.   The waves crashing into the blow hole shot higher than the cliffside in spray.  The Kellogg Hawaii Bodyboarding Pro Tour had a tent set up, but it was impossible to see who was competing.  By the time I walked back, the log had been lost to the ocean and there was also a story of seeing a centipede on Kolohe's back!  The encroaching waters also routed some homeless from the bushes, taking shopping carts with belongings into the ocean.  A couple in a truck who had been camping there over a year also lost items which then tumbled about in the surf before ending up on the beach (see extra).  The surge was inundating areas of beach that I'd never seen under water before.   It became sunny in later afternoon.    Road crews were shoring up the road in the Ha'uula area, which runs right along the ocean and has been deteriorating and vulnerable to wave damage.  Again the Big Island was harder hit than further down the island chain.   Lucky again, but the season has more to come.

The extras don't seem to like photos that have been taken in portrait orientation and once I've deleted a sideways one, will not let me re-post it.