The city will close all Leeward O'ahu and North Shore beaches today because of the combination of strong winds and high surf expected to hit the Islands.

Officials will also deploy outreach teams at 9 a.m. today to urge homeless campers to leave beaches and move to Red Cross shelters to be set up at the Wai'anae, Waialua, Kane'ohe and Waimanalo district parks, the city said.

From Ali'i Beach to Sunset Beach and beyond, the multitude of wave watchers kept a vigil on O'ahu yesterday, waiting patiently for what had been billed as the biggest North Shore waves of the season.

As the day wore on and the 35-foot biggies didn't arrive in the afternoon as scheduled, the crowds thinned out to a small degree. Most, though, kept the faith — enjoying the clear, sunny skies, mild temperatures and the steadily rising surf.

The National Weather Service was still predicting the high surf, although the timetable had changed. Forecaster Ian Morrison said the swell arrived in Hawaiian waters about four to six hours later than had been predicted.

The revised surf forecast for O'ahu still called for 25- to 35-foot waves last night and high-surf warnings remained in place for north and west shores of all islands until 6 a.m. today.

"Oh, yeah, it's coming," Morrison said. "You should see a dramatic rise."

Forecasters were also warning the public to brace for high winds through tomorrow afternoon. Gusts of 50 to 60 mph are possible tonight and tomorrow, especially in areas north and east of high terrain, such as Windward O'ahu.

Surfer Leonard Brady of Los Angeles came off a 6-foot wave at Sunset Beach yesterday and spoke of the magnitude of what was happening.

"You can feel the energy," said Brady, 59, a former Hawai'i editor for Surfer magazine, as he pointed to white water rarely seen so close to shore. "There's too much current and too much white water for how small the wave is. That's real energy that's coming in from that deep storm that's pushing in."

Moments earlier, Brian Dunlap, 18, of Lakewood, Wash., had learned that lesson the hard way. Having never surfed before, and enjoying a Hawai'i visit before heading off to Marine boot camp in San Diego, he paddled into the Sunset Beach waters on a $2, used, foam bodyboard he bought at Goodwill.

After making an attempt at riding the waves, Dunlap discovered he was unable to paddle back to shore because of strong currents.

Watching from the beach, his dad, retired Army Sgt. Richard Dunlap, began to worry. The elder Dunlap, figuring Brady looked like someone who knew what he was talking about, asked the experienced surfer what to do.

"He told me my son was doing the right thing by just letting the current bring him around to the east and on back into shore," Dunlap said after his son had safely returned to shore.

"I did feel the energy," Brian Dunlap said after his big wave adventure — holding up what was left of his foam board, which had broken in half. "And it was exciting."

What surfing that went on during the afternoon was limited to the few, the seasoned, the tenacious and the strong of heart.

"It's kind of ugly and choppy stuff," said Pat Kelly, surfer and former North Shore lifeguard, as he pondered the afternoon spectacle at Sunset Beach. "Like, if you try to surf a certain place to catch the waves, and that place keeps changing, and breaking further out and over, you've got to keep paddling around and hope you're in the right place when the set comes.

"It's just too much work."

The problem, according to just about everyone familiar with the North Shore waves, are the light winds blowing in from the west that all but wipe out favorable surfing conditions.

Veteran surf photographer Bernie Baker said he had no doubt that the classic waves would be in abundance today. But, for the most part, those waves would be good for viewing, not riding, he said.

"Our problem is our weather, not our surf," Baker said.