On Saturday, a tour vessel was swept sideways by heavy surf while attempting to transit into a small harbor in Honolulu, sending the boat off course and causing it to ground.
At about 0800 hours Saturday morning, the 75-foot passenger vessel Discovery was inbound for the Kewalo Basin, a small-craft harbor about 1,500 yards southeast of the main Honolulu Harbor entrance. Unusually tall waves of 10-12 feet were rolling towards the beach, and a high surf advisory was in effect, indicating hazardous conditions for the unprepared. (Honolulu Ocean Safety later reported that it rescued more than 300 beachgoers from the waves over the course of the day.)
In these conditions, Discovery – which had only two crewmembers aboard, and no passengers – attempted to make the run through the narrow channel into the harbor…