Astounding Swells, Surf & Sea Level Rise
 

Photo Credit: Freight Trains by Brian DeCook, 7/17/2022

Over the past weekend a trifecta of events transpired to produce some of the largest swells to hit the south shores of the Hawaiian islands in over a decade. A combination of factors from hurricane Darby, winds, and high tides combined to form historic swells. Wave heights reached up to 24 feet on Saturday and caused the most damage at Keauhou on Hawaii Island where they crashed over a 2-story residential complex, according to Hawaii News Now. 

This south swell hit the other islands too, disrupting some coastal roads and businesses on Oahu, Kauai and Maui. Maui experienced road closures, traffic delays and business disruptions along S. and N. Kihei roads, Honoapiilani Hwy and at several businesses near Mala Wharf along Front Street in Lahaina, according to a Maui Now news article. Thankfully, the Maui and Kihei Canoe Clubs suffered no damages to their canoes which were moved away from the shoreline by dedicated members and volunteers, though the beaches were left with coral rubble and flooded in some areas.

This historic swell also made for rare and desirable surf conditions at one of Maui’s legendary surf spots, Freight Trains at Ma’alaea harbor (pictured above). You can check out this amazing video footage of Freight Trains taken on Saturday, July 17th, 2022. One surfer and writer who has lived in the Hawaiian islands since the 1970s said he waited 3 decades to understand the hype about surfing Ma’alaea at its best. He wrote about it back in 2004 and his description below still rings true. You can read his article here.

“In surfing lore, Maalaea is touted as the world’s fastest rideable wave. The waves initially pass over the deep waters of Maalaea Bay, then gain speed as they approach shallow water; the flat coral bottom and brisk offshore tradewinds do the rest. When the winds meet the cresting waves head-on, huge plumes of sea spray ascend high into the air, often forming rainbows.”

In light of this weekends’ epic swells and coastal surge floods, it feels important to mention a new law SB474 that was recently passed which impacts owners and buyers of Hawaii real estate in coastal zones. This year Hawaiʻi became the first state in the U.S. to require ‘sea level rise’ disclosures in real estate transactions. Sellers must disclose whether a property lies within the sea level rise exposure area and thus if the property is at risk from sea level rise and coastal erosion. The Surfrider Foundation offers a nice overview and summary of the law and why it’s important. 

The importance of SB474

• Ensures that buyers understand/acknowledge the risks associated with purchasing and owning property in the coastal zone;
• Strengthens the state’s and counties’ abilities to deny emergency permits for shoreline hardening structures for private property threatened by coastal erosion (as the buyer willingly assumed the risks when they purchased the property). 
• Offers a science-based solution to the problem of sea level rise and coastal erosion.
• Took effect on May 1, 2022.
• Properties affected are those that fall within the 3.2-foot sea level rise projections by 2050 (see the Sea Level Rise Exposure Area Map (SLR-XA)).
• Supported by the Hawaiʻi Association of Realtors. Disclosure is already required in flood and tsunami zones and the real estate industry is equipped to adopt an additional disclosure statement into their transactional paperwork.
• The Sea Level Rise Exposure Area Map (SLR-XA) is publicly available online.
• Recent updates in the last year now make it possible to easily identify properties in the Sea Level Rise Exposure Area down to a specific TMK. 
• ​Using SLR-XA is more comprehensive than “beachfront” as it takes into account the combined impacts of SLR (e.g. flooding and coastal erosion).
• ​The State of Hawaiʻi is required by law to protect public trust lands, which include beaches and coastlines.