Hurricane Lowell unleashed severe tropical weather across Hawaii over the weekend, battering coastal regions with life-threatening surf, dangerous storm surges, and widespread flash flooding.
The National Weather Service issued urgent flood warnings for multiple islands, while state officials officially declared a state of emergency across the Hawaiian archipelago. Governor Josh Green warned residents that “our state is taking every precaution necessary as life-threatening surf and torrential rains impact our coastal communities.”
While the heavy tropical downpours caused significant disruption and flooding across Oahu’s famed North Shore, local surfing icon Jamie O’Brien found an adventurous silver lining in the localized chaos. Check out his latest vlog below.
With muddy floodwaters swamping coastal roads, O’Brien and his crew transformed the flooded neighborhood into a makeshift towing playground. Tying a tow rope to the back of his car, O’Brien towed friends down the submerged streets on his signature Fun Day soft-top surfboards.
Witnessing the completely inundated neighborhood and flooded asphalt, JOB said:
“The road is flooded! It’s a lot of water. We can surf down this whole zone.”
Armed with soft-tops, they carved through knee-deep, muddy floodwaters, skimming past palm trees and flooded residential driveways. After a wild and surprisingly successful session of sidewalk surfing, Jamie wrapped up the street stunt, noting:
“We scored. Nobody got too hurt. Let’s call it a day.”
With the street session wrapped, O’Brien traveled to the south side of Oahu to inspect the massive, unruly hurricane swells pounding Ala Moana Bowls. The hurricane-fueled surf produced heavy, churning barrels, but O’Brien was forced to watch the historic session strictly from the safety of the beach.
The veteran waterman is currently recovering from a recent pterygium eye surgery, requiring him to keep his eyes completely dry and protected from ocean spray. Despite being temporarily sidelined, O’Brien reassured fans that his recovery is right on track and he will be back in the water soon.
Heal up soon, JOB. And stay safe, Hawaii.
Related: Hurricane-Fueled Surf Mows Down Newport Beach Fishermen (Video)
Original Post from this site