A surfer flies off the top of a wave Wednesday at the challenging west side surf spot called Windmills. The Maui News / MATTHEW THAYER photo

The Maui News

A high-surf advisory has been issued for the north- and west-facing shores of Molokai and north-facing shores of Maui through 6 a.m. today, the National Weather Service announced.

The islands have been seeing high surf most of the week, though the current northwest swell is subsiding across the state.

Large breaking waves of 15 to 20 feet were predicted Thursday afternoon, subsiding to 12 to 18 feet Thursday night. Shore break and strong longshore and rip currents could make swimming difficult and dangerous.

Maalaea Bay will be under a small craft advisory from 6 a.m. today to 6 a.m. Saturday.

East winds of 15 to 25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots and seas of 7 to 10 feet expected.

Inexperienced mariners, especially those in smaller vessels, should avoid navigating in these conditions, the weather service said.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Health reported a high bacteria count at the Hukilau Hotel Shoreline fronting the Maui Beach and Maui Seaside hotels in Kahului. The DOH said that levels of 1625 per 100 milliliters were detected during routine beach monitoring but that it was uncertain about the first sample and was retesting the area.

The beach has historically met acceptable levels, and there is no known source of fecal contamination, DOH said.