Forty-year-old Shane Fann of Mountain View has been charged with attempted murder and numerous firearm-related offenses following a violent altercation in Eden Roc on Sept. 26, according to the Hawaiʻi Island police.

Fann was charged with second-degree attempted murder, ownership or possession of firearm prohibited, two counts ownership or possession of ammunition prohibited, carrying/use of a firearm in the commission of a separate felony, and carrying or possessing a loaded firearm on public highways. His bail is set at $1,150.000. 
 
At about 9:15 p.m. Monday, Puna patrol officers responded to a report of a 42-year-old man who said he had been shot and was driving himself to get treatment. Police and Hawai’i Fire Department personnel met the victim in the parking lot of a convenience store in Mountain View.
 
The victim was transported via ambulance to the Hilo Medical Center Emergency Room with potentially life-threatening gunshot wounds to his left forearm and facial area. He was admitted and later upgraded to stable condition. He remains hospitalized and is scheduled to undergo surgery later this week.  
 
While officers were responding to the initial call, police received another call from a male who reported he had been involved in a shooting incident outside his residence on Waimaka O Pele Road, in Mountain View. He reported that he had been shot at and returned fire.
 
Police responded to the residence on Waimaka O Pele Road and arrested Fann without incident. Although Fann reported being shot at, he was not injured. 
 
Area I Criminal Investigation Section detectives responded to the scene to continue the investigation. Search warrants were later served on Fann’s vehicle and residence, where a firearm and ammunition were recovered, according to the police news release.  
 
Fann remains in police custody pending his initial court appearance scheduled for Sept. 29 in Hilo District Court.
 
Police are asking anyone who was in the area or who may have information on this incident, to contact the police department’s non-emergency number at 808-935-3311 or Det. Casey Cabral at 808 961-2384 or at Casey.Cabral@hawaiicounty.gov.

Photo Credit: James Grenz

Forecast for Big Island Windward and Southeast

Forecast for Big Island Leeward

Swell Summary

A series of small north and northwest swells are expected along north facing exposures through Friday. Forerunners from a slightly larger north-northwest swell will fill in Friday and peak over the weekend. A cut off low will develop far north of the state today through Friday, sending a north swell towards the islands arriving by Sunday. Depending on how the storm develops over the next 48 hours, we could see surf heights approaching High Surf Advisory thresholds along north facing shores on Monday.

Surf will remain small along south facing shores over the next few days with mainly background energy from the south and southeast. Another small, a more noticeable long-period south swell is expected to fill in Sunday into Monday then decline through the middle of next week.

East facing shores will remain small during the next several days due to the lack of strong trade winds upstream of the state. Areas exposed to the north should see an increase Sunday into Monday as a moderate north-northeast swell wraps into select eastern exposures.

NORTH EAST

am        pm  

Surf: Knee high ENE short period wind swell.

Conditions: Semi glassy in the morning with SSE winds less than 5mph. Choppy/disorganized conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting ESE 15-20mph.

NORTH WEST

am        pm  

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Clean in the early morning with ESE winds less than 5mph. Sideshore texture/chop conditions move in during the morning hours with the winds shifting SW 10-15mph.

WEST

am        pm  

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Semi glassy in the morning with SE winds less than 5mph. Bumpy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting SW 5-10mph.

SOUTH EAST

am        pm  

Surf: Small scale (ankle to knee high) surf.

Conditions: Fairly clean in the morning with N winds 5-10mph. Semi choppy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting to the ENE.

Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov and SwellInfo.com

One person was arrested in connection with a suspected fentanyl drug bust in Kona on Tuesday evening, according to the Hawaiʻi Police Department.

The bust was made on the same day a federal agency issued a drug threat bulletin warning a large amount of the synthetic opioid had been shipped to the Big Island.

Hawaiʻi police would not provide further information about the arrest, citing the ongoing investigation. 

The drug threat bulletin, issued by Hawai‘i’s High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Agency, stated a shipment of suspected powdered fentanyl and a large amount of rainbow-colored counterfeit pills were smuggled onto Hawaiʻi Island and were being distributed.

HPD confirmed Wednesday in a press release that officers have seen the recent arrival of pills, particularly in West Hawai‘i.

This form of the drug is commonly known as rainbow fentanyl because it resembles candy. Over the last few weeks, HPD Lt. Edwin Buyten said in the release that the Area II Vice section has recovered in excess of 100 rainbow fentanyl pills.

“Rainbow fentanyl is brand new to us here on island,” Lt. Buyten said. It’s a marketing tool for the drug trafficking organizations meant to lure in a younger clientele. That’s concerning due to the danger it places on our island keiki and our community as a whole. With the Halloween season approaching, there’s an increased threat of children mistaking rainbow fentanyl for candy.”

Most illicit fentanyl pills and powders are manufactured in Mexico by drug cartels in laboratories, which are exported to the United States. The concentration of the drug varies widely, however authorities say as little as two milligrams of fentanyl can be fatal in non-opioid-tolerant individuals.

“With the introduction of illicit fentanyl, it is cheaper and more readily available to opioid users,” Buyten said. “It’s flooded the market and it’s more dangerous.”

Hawai‘i’s High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Agency told news outlets in Honolulu that Hawaiʻi Island is seeing the brunt of the fentanyl entering the state. 

In 2020, only one of the 24 drug-related deaths on the island was due to fentanyl. In 2021, there were 32 drug-related deaths with seven due to fentanyl. The numbers for 2022 are not available, but in just the past week, HPD said there were three fentanyl-suspected fatal overdoses.

HPD has had recent successful drug busts that have disrupted supply chains from the mainland to Hawaiʻi. 

Last year, the Vice section dismantled a local drug distribution organization, which was supplied by a Mexican cartel. Officers recovered 5 pounds of methamphetamine, more than 7,000 fentanyl pills and 1 kilogram of pure powdered fentanyl.

In West Hawai‘i, the department said it recovered an estimated 15,000 fentanyl pills in the past year.

But large amounts of fentanyl in all its forms — including powder, tablet, capsule, solution or rocks — continue to be recovered on the streets.

Lt. Buyten agreed with the federal agency’s assessment that the Big Island was receiving the brunt of the fentanyl in the state, noting Hawaiʻi police have a lighter law enforcement presence than Oʻahu.

To get a hold of the ongoing fentanyl crisis, Lt. Buyten told Big Island Now that HPD needs to get creative in investigating techniques.

“We need to do that as a unified intelligence-based unit with our federal partners,” he added.

HPD has been historically plagued with staffing issues. According to an email received from HPD’s Office of the Chief, there are currently 55 sworn police officer vacancies.

Lt. Buyten said Vice section officers and detectives still are working two to four hours of overtime daily.

He said to eradicate this fatal drug from the community, the officers have to recruit information and be available when that window of opportunity opens to recover drugs.

“A Vice unit is an unconventional unit,” he said. “We need autonomy to operate.”

Area II Criminal Investigation Division Capt. Thomas Shopay said the department is increasing enforcement efforts by leveraging its partnerships with federal law enforcement agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration. 

“These partnerships assist our personnel in the ability to identify traffickers on the mainland who are supplying our community with illicit fentanyl and allow us a greater ability to intercept fentanyl before it hits our streets,” Shopay said.

HPD has been working with various community partners, including the county since May to address the fentanyl crisis. From this partnership, a fentanyl task force was formed to educate the public about the dangers of the drug and how to recognize it.

Authorities advise the public that if they encounter suspicious prescription medication or drugs of unknown origin, do not touch them and notify police at 808-935-3311.

If you have information on suspected fentanyl trafficking contact police at 808-935-3311. Additionally, reports can be made for East Hawaiʻi to the Area I Vice Section tip line at 808-934-8423, or for West Hawaiʻi to the Area II Vice Section tip line at 808-329-0423.

Water customers on Kalaniana‘ole Street, from Kōlea Street to Leleiwi Street and including side roads, in Hilo are being notified about a water main break.

Customers in the affected area could experience no water or low water pressure while crews with the county Department of Water Supply repair the water main. Repairs are expected to be completed later Wednesday. Updates will be issued as necessary and can be viewed online.

All affected customers are asked to conserve water until service is restored. They also are reminded to follow the recommendation of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content as a temporary substitute for washing hands with soap and water.

When water service is restored, affected customers might notice trapped air in their water lines or turbid water. These are temporary conditions that can be resolved by running the water for several minutes until clear.

For more information, call 808-961-8790 or 808-961-8060 during normal business hours, 808-961-8790 for after-hour emergencies or email to dws@hawaiidws.org.

A Nevada man was sentenced to nearly four years imprisonment and one year of supervised release after he was found guilty for assaulting an elderly passenger while on a cruise ship in Hilo in 2018.

On Monday, 78-year-old John McAvay appeared before United States District Judge Jill A. Otake who found the man guilty of assault after a non-jury trial in May. Clare E. Connors, United States Attorney, said that according to court documents and information presented in court, on Oct. 23, 2018, McAvay — a retired law enforcement officer — committed an unprovoked assault on an elderly passenger on a cruise ship, resulting in life-threatening and protracted injuries.

“McAvay then fled the scene of the assault and failed to render aid, call for help, or report the incident,” according to court documents. “The victim was airlifted from the cruise ship to the Hilo Medical Center in critical condition on October 25, 2018, and then to the Queen’s Medical Center, where he remained hospitalized for approximately one month.”

The victim was later transported to a hospital in California and then to a rehabilitation facility. As a result of the assault, the victim suffered from serious cognitive and physical impairments—including confusion, memory loss, and immobility—until his death on Feb. 6, 2019.

McAvay was arrested on Oct. 28, 2018, after he was identified by another cruise ship passenger.

In finding McAvay guilty, Judge Otake stated that although McAvay “could have simply walked away,” he instead “sucker-punched” the victim in the head out of anger. The victim, Otake found, posed “no threat” to McAvay. Judge Otake added: “There is also no doubt that Defendant McAvay acted cowardly, reprehensibly, and despicably.”

McAvay was also charged with involuntary manslaughter. The court found him not guilty of this count because it could not conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that a pre-existing cancer alone would not have caused his death.

Big Island police continue their crackdown on motorists who drive under the influence of an intoxicant.

The Hawai‘i Police Department reports that during the week of Sept. 19-25, 18 motorists were arrested for DUI. Three were involved in traffic accidents. None were younger than 21. So far this year, there have been 737 DUI arrests compared with 785 during the same period last year, a decrease of 6.1%.

There have been 601 major accidents so far this year compared with 584 during the same period last year, an increase of 2.9%. So far this year, there have been 25 fatal crashes resulting in 27 fatalities compared with 18 fatal crashes resulting in 18 fatalities during the same time frame in 2021. That represents an increase of 38.9% for fatal crashes and 50% for fatalities.

Police said DUI roadblocks and patrols will continue islandwide.

COVID-19 reinfections are on the rise.

The state Department of Health said Wednesday morning that the percentage of COVID cases involving people who previously were infected is growing and now accounts for about 10% of new confirmed cases.

“The data on reinfections underscores what we have been saying; that limited immunity from previous infection only lasts so long,” State Epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Kemble said in a press release. “Regardless of whether a person has had COVID-19 in the past, they should stay up to date on their vaccinations and boosters to get increased protection from severe illness and hospitalization.”

There have been 10,995 reinfections throughout the state since September 2020, when the first reinfection was recorded. The 10,995 reinfections represent 3.09% of Hawai‘i’s total number of cases.

“Reinfections were rare early in the pandemic. Reinfection statistics were relatively insignificant,” Kemble said in the press release. “However, the percentage of COVID-19 cases involving people who have had prior infection has increased over time. Reinfections now account for about 10% of all new COVID-19 cases in Hawai‘i.”

Adding the 10,995 reinfections to the 344,964 cases involving unique individuals brings the state’s total case count as of Wednesday to 355,959. Going forward, reinfections will be counted in the seven-day average daily case count. This will result in higher average daily case counts compared with the previous data reporting method.

Until now, the total COVID case count displayed on the state’s dashboard represented the number of unique individuals who tested positive and were reported to the Health Department. A person who tested positive multiple times was counted once.

The updated total case count published on the data dashboard Wednesday includes every confirmed positive case reported to the state since the first reinfection was recorded in 2020 as long as the second case happened at least 90-days after the first. Multiple positive tests within a 90-day period are counted only once.

For more information about reinfections, click here.

The state Department of Health reported 12,755 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, Sept. 28, bringing the statewide total to 355,959. The spike in cases is due to the DOH adding reinfection case counts.

As of today, COVID-19 reinfections will be included in the weekly update if the case is 90 days or more after the previous infection. COVID-19 reinfection is when a person who had the virus recovered and then later became infected again.

Historic reinfections from the beginning of the pandemic through the present have also been added. According to the DOH, the first reported reinfections occurred in September 2020.

Seven new fatalities were also reported statewide.

A total of 167 new infections were reported Wednesday on the Big Island as well as 1,073 reinfections. A map documenting new cases by district throughout all islands can be accessed at the DOH website.

The island-by-island case count is as follows:

O‘ahu: 247,014
Hawaiʻi: 39,598
Maui: 40,836
Kaua‘i: 17,816
Moloka‘i: 1,264
Lana‘i: 805
Pending: 0
Out-of-State: 8,626

There are currently 67 individuals hospitalized for the virus. At least 1,686 have died since the pandemic began. Hospitalization data is updated Monday through Friday, except on state and federal holidays.

For a comprehensive calendar and list of all pharmacies and clinics providing vaccination and testing on the island, visit the Hawai‘i County Civil Defense website.

Photo Credit: James Grenz

Hilo

Today: Mostly sunny in the morning then becoming partly sunny. A 20 percent chance of showers. Highs 78 to 84 near the shore to 64 to 73 at 4000 feet. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers. Lows 65 to 72 near the shore to 55 to 61 at 4000 feet. North winds around 10 mph.

Thursday: Partly sunny with scattered showers. Highs 78 to 83 near the shore to 63 to 71 at 4000 feet. Northeast winds around 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Kona

Today: Sunny in the morning, then mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs 80 to 88 near the shore to around 71 near 5000 feet. Light winds becoming west 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers in the evening, then mostly clear after midnight. Lows 70 to 75 near the shore to 49 to 55 near 5000 feet. Light winds.

Thursday: Sunny in the morning, then mostly cloudy with isolated showers in the afternoon. Highs 80 to 88 near the shore to around 71 near 5000 feet. Light winds becoming west 10 to 15 mph in the afternoon. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Waimea

Today: Mostly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs 67 to 88. East winds 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers. Lows 64 to 71 near the shore to 54 to 62 near 3000 feet. East winds 10 to 15 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny. Isolated showers in the morning, then scattered showers in the afternoon. Highs 66 to 88. East winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Kohala

Today: Mostly sunny with a 20 percent chance of showers. Highs 67 to 88. East winds 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight: Partly cloudy with a 40 percent chance of showers. Lows 64 to 71 near the shore to 54 to 62 near 3000 feet. East winds 10 to 15 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny. Isolated showers in the morning, then scattered showers in the afternoon. Highs 66 to 88. East winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.

South Big Island

Today: Sunny in the morning, then mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of showers in the afternoon. Highs 81 to 87 near the shore to around 69 near 5000 feet. East winds 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy in the evening then clearing. Lows around 73 near the shore to around 51 near 5000 feet. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.

Thursday: Sunny in the morning, then mostly cloudy with isolated showers in the afternoon. Highs 81 to 87 near the shore to around 68 near 5000 feet. East winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Puna

Today: Mostly sunny in the morning then becoming partly sunny. A 20 percent chance of showers. Highs 78 to 84 near the shore to 64 to 73 at 4000 feet. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of showers. Lows 65 to 72 near the shore to 55 to 61 at 4000 feet. North winds around 10 mph.

Thursday: Partly sunny with scattered showers. Highs 78 to 83 near the shore to 63 to 71 at 4000 feet. Northeast winds around 10 mph. Chance of rain 50 percent.

Waikoloa

Today: Sunny. Highs 80 to 91 near the shore to 68 to 75 above 4000 feet. North winds 10 to 15 mph.

Tonight: Mostly clear. A 20 percent chance of showers in the evening. Lows around 73 near the shore to 50 to 56 above 4000 feet. Northeast winds around 10 mph.

Thursday: Mostly sunny. Isolated showers in the afternoon. Highs 79 to 89 near the shore to 67 to 74 above 4000 feet. North winds 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 20 percent.

Detailed Forecast

Synopsis

Light to moderate trade winds will remain on the dry side of normal for most areas through Thursday, but moisture associated with a dissipating front may bring an increase in windward showers to Kauai beginning tonight. An increase in windward showers is possible for most islands Thursday night and Friday as moisture arrives from the east. Light and variable winds this weekend may bring increased afternoon showers to island interiors, with generally dry conditions at night.

Discussion

A mostly dry and stable trade wind weather pattern remains in place this morning, with latest satellite images showing abnormally few low clouds upstream of the islands from Kauai to Maui, with scattered low clouds approaching the Big Island. Radar shows little in the way of precipitation, and the rain gage network has remained mostly dry over the past 24 hours. A mid- and upper level ridge centered NW of the islands is supporting a strong subsidence inversion based near 6000' over the Big Island, while the Lihue sounding showed a weaker inversion, with PWAT near 1.2″ in Hilo and 1.5″ in Lihue. Little change is expected in the short term, with very little rainfall anticipated today.
Model guidance over the past 48 hours has been advertising an increase in PWAT near Kauai as remnants of a front, now about 150 miles N of Kauai, sags S. This has yet to occur, with nearly clear skies at the moment, but guidance continues to indicate an increase in low-level moisture around Kauai by tonight. If this occurs, there will be some increase in trade wind shower coverage over windward Kauai, while mostly dry conditions persist over the remainder of the state through Thursday.
An uptick in trade wind shower coverage is possible over most islands Thursday night and Friday as moisture associated with a low- level trough presently near 20N 150W moves over the area. Current guidance keeps the bulk of this moisture N of the Big Island. Over the weekend, a slow-moving cut-off low far NE of the islands will send a front southward toward the area, substantially weakening the local pressure gradient. Light E winds will allow land and sea breezes to modulate weather over land. With some moisture lingering and with converging afternoon sea breezes, there could be a healthy coverage of afternoon clouds and showers over interior sections over the weekend. Overnight land breezes should bring clearing each night and morning. Increased moisture associated with the approaching front may move over some of the islands from the N early next week as trade winds restrengthen.

Aviation

High pressure north of the state will maintain moderate trade winds through the forecast period. A relatively dry airmass will limit cloud and shower activity to windward areas. Expect mainly VFR conditions, with brief MVFR possible under passing showers.
No AIRMETs are in effect.

Marine

A weak frontal boundary north of the Hawaiian Islands will diminish today and a high pressure system far to the northeast of the region will produce moderate to fresh trade winds through Thursday. Wind speeds will then weaken from Friday through Monday, as yet another low pressure system sets up north of the region. Wind speeds will likely remain below Small Craft Advisory thresholds through Monday.
A series of small to medium period north and northwest swells from Aleutian sources are expected to increase surf heights along north facing shores through Friday. Medium range guidance shows a cut off low forming far north of the state on Thursday and Friday, sending a north swell towards the islands arriving by Saturday night. A decent fetch area will point towards Hawaii with 20 to 35 knots of wind developing around the west side of the low center. However, the strength of this north swell energy will greatly depend on where and how strong this surface low sets up relative to the island chain. Stay tuned.
South swell will continue trend a bit lower today before another small background south swell fills in on Thursday with slight increasing trends expected on Friday and Saturday. A slightly larger, medium period south-southeast swell will arrive by early next week.
East facing shores will remain small over the next week, with a potential for a small north swell wrap by Sunday.

HFO Watches/Warnings/Advisories

None.

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Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov

Surrounded by grass taller than them — some of it razor sharp, nicking at their skin and so thick that even a police baton couldn’t part it — two officers with the Hawai‘i Police Department’s Puna Patrol followed a faint cry for help in July.

It was like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack, or dense jungle in this case. But officers Kyle Murray and Devin Ah Chong, drenched from a heavy rain, kept searching in the dark of night for the origin of the voice coming from a 6-acre area between Road 8 and Road 9 off Road F in the Hawaiian Acres subdivision.

They were responding to a call that came into police dispatch about 9:30 or 10 p.m. on July 13 about someone in the bushes in the area yelling for help.

Ah Chong was working on the third shift that night and he and several other officers responded to the area. They searched for about an hour or so, but with the rain pounding, coquis chirping loudly and other night noises, including several of the area’s residents also yelling for the person in an attempt to help, it was hard to hear much. They couldn’t find anyone and the search was eventually called off.

At 2:15 a.m., dispatch received a second call similar to the one earlier in the night.

Murray, who was not on duty for the first search, Ah Chong, who was held over into Murrayʻs shift, went to Hawaiian Acres and turned off their vehicles, quietly listening. After some time, Murray heard a faint “Help, help!” in the distance.

Their search began as rain started pouring again.

As the minutes turned to hours, Murray and Ah Chong pushed on, announcing themselves and telling the voice yelling back from the dark that help was on the way. Their legs were weak. They were covered in mud and new scratches. Fire ants were feasting on them. And their flashlightsʻ batteries were dying.

But they knew it was up to them to find the person in distress. So they trudged on, falling into brush just to push it down to clear a path.

About three hours after the search began, Ah Chong discovered a 43-year-old woman covered by trees in a ditch about 4 feet deep.

“She looked up and she started crying,” Ah Chong said.

He said if it hadn’t been for the colorful clothing she was wearing that stood out in the jungle, he might not have seen her.

After moving some of the trees and branches around her, Ah Chong grabbed her hand letting her know she was safe.

“I remember she couldn’t really even walk,” Ah Chong said. “She was just so exhausted, dehydrated, probably in shock from being out there for at least 12 maybe more hours than that.”

Ah Chong stayed with the woman, while Murray navigated back through the dense vegetation to get more help. He met with a resident of the area who provided a hand-held chainsaw to clear a trail back to Ah Chong and the woman.

The two officers helped extricate the woman from the jungle, where they were met by medics with the Hawai’i Fire Department.

After being evaluated, the woman, who sustained only minor scrapes and bruises, declined further treatment but did consent to an ambulance ride to her home two miles away.

The woman told the officers the reason she got lost in the middle of the jungle. She was trying to avoid a small group of very large feral pigs.

She had encountered the critters the previous day around noon while walking home from the bus stop.

Fearing what the pigs would do to her if she walked by them, she went into the bushes to hide until the pigs left.

Unfortunately, the area she entered has somewhat of a small incline and she slipped, dropping her bags and everything inside. She became disoriented while looking for her bags and the items that had fallen out. Instead of walking back toward the road, she was walking farther into the dense vegetation.

During the first search, an officer thought he heard someone calling for help. The woman told Ah Chong later that she could see flashlights at that time and hear people calling out so she responded.

But the woman said she got excited and tried to pull herself up through the bushes, grabbing a tree branch. The branch broke, causing her to fall and be knocked unconscious.

The second call to dispatch came in after the woman regained consciousness and again began yelling for help.

Ah Chong has been with the police department for five years, and Murray has been with the agency for three years. Both have responded to similar search-and-rescue calls, but nothing as intense and demanding — or as rewarding — as the one in July.

“I was just elated to see her alive,” Murray said.

“Her safety was the main thing and her welfare,” Ah Chong said. “So we were glad she was okay. When she got checked out by the medics and they said she was okay, it was like a huge weight off our shoulders.”

The two will be honored as the Aloha Exchange Club of East Hawai’i’s August Officers of the Month during a club meeting Oct. 27 at the Hilo Yacht Club. While they appreciate the honor, the officers said they need no accolades and were just doing their jobs.

Ah Chong said: “I’m sure any other officer in our position would have done the exact same thing.”

One thousand free Grab & Go Ocean Learning kits will be distributed to students on the Big Island, Maui and Kaua’i on Oct. 1 at sites sponsored by the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

The kits focus on Mālama o ke Kai (Take Care of the Ocean). Topics include: 

• kilo (traditional Hawaiian observation systems) 
• pono (sustainable) fishing practices
• taking care of limu (seaweed)
• understanding and behaving properly in the presence of honu (green sea turtles) and honu ʻea (hawksbill turtle)

The learning kits are being given out at the start of the Hawaiʻi Department of Education’s fall break for public schools. They are a collaboration between the state Division of Aquatic Resources, Hawaiʻi State Public Library System, National Marine Fisheries Service and the sanctuary.

The kits can be picked up at these locations on Maui, Kauaʻi and the Big Island:

• On Hawaiʻi Island: Mokupāpapa Discovery Center, 76 Kamehameha Ave., Hilo (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.); and state public libraries in Hilo, Kailua-Kona and Kamuela.

• On Maui: Kīhei Humpback Whale Sanctuary, 726 S Kihei Rd., Kīhei (9 a.m. to 2 p.m.); and state public libraries in Kīhei, Lahaina and Makawao.

• On Kauaʻi: Kauaʻi Ocean Discovery, 3-2600 Kaumualii Hwy #1618, Līhuʻe (11 a.m. to 2 p.m.); and state public libraries in Hanapēpē and Princeville.

All state public library distribution locations will start at 9 a.m. and continue while supplies last.

The sanctuary is administered by a partnership of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and the state Division of Aquatic Resources. The sanctuary protects humpback whales through research, education, conservation and stewardship; and it operates ocean learning centers in Kīhei and Līhuʻe.

Forecast for Big Island Windward and Southeast

Forecast for Big Island Leeward

Swell Summary

A series of small to medium period north and northwest swells from Aleutian sources are expected to increase surf heights along north facing shores through Friday. Medium range guidance shows a cut off low forming far north of the state on Thursday and Friday, sending a north swell towards the islands arriving by Saturday night.

The current south swell will continue trend a bit lower today before another small background south swell fills in on Thursday with slight increasing trends expected on Friday and Saturday. A slightly larger, medium period south-southeast swell will arrive by early next week.

East facing shores will remain small over the next week, with a potential for a small north swell wrap by Sunday.

NORTH EAST

am        pm  

Surf: Small scale (ankle to knee high) surf.

Conditions: Sideshore texture/chop with SE winds 5-10mph in the morning shifting ESE for the afternoon.

NORTH WEST

am        pm  

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Glassy in the early morning with SSW winds less than 5mph. Semi choppy conditions move in during the morning hours with the winds shifting WSW 5-10mph.

WEST

am        pm  

Surf: Minimal (ankle high or less) surf.

Conditions: Semi glassy in the morning with SSE winds less than 5mph. Semi glassy/semi bumpy conditions for the afternoon with the winds shifting WSW 5-10mph.

SOUTH EAST

am        pm  

Surf: Small scale (ankle to knee high) surf.

Conditions: Light sideshore texture with NNE winds 5-10mph.

Data Courtesy of NOAA.gov and SwellInfo.com