A south swell kept Honolulu lifeguards busy yesterday with hundreds of preventive actions and 12 rescues, sent waves washing across Farrington Highway in Wai'anae and forced homeless people on O'ahu's west side beaches to take steps to protect their exposed belongings.

One surfer who was pulled from the water off the Natatorium was in critical condition last night. Emergency Services Department spokesman Bryan Cheplic said lifeguards pulled the man, who was in his 20s, out of the water at about 5:30 p.m. and performed CPR.

An EMS crew stabilized the man and took him to a nearby hospital, Cheplic said.

Police closed a small portion of the makai-most eastbound lane of Farrington Highway at Makaha Valley Road because of eight- to 10-foot waves that flooded part of the roadway.

A high-surf advisory for all islands remains in effect until 6 p.m. today. Surf is expected to be six to eight feet along south-facing shores of all islands.

The National Weather Service warned that large waves breaking along coastlines of affected areas will produce dangerous rip currents and inexperienced swimmers should stay out of the breakers. People are also advised to stay away from rocky ledges along the affected shores.

The closure of the Farrington Highway lane yesterday was because of a combination of an extreme high tide of almost 2.2 feet, combined with the peaking of the south swell, said Cheplic.

The rising water pushed sand, wood, rocks and other debris over a four-foot embankment, past a bus shelter and onto the roadway. By mid-afternoon a two-inch layer of sand had carpeted the sidewalk.

At Ma'ili Point, 42-year-old Mary Staber kept a watchful eye on the surf from her makeshift home on a broad ledge above the water.

Earlier in the morning, Staber, who has lived on the beach for three years, lost a load of laundry when the waves washed over the long, flat rocks where she had left her clothes to dry.

It wasn't the first time her life has been affected by big surf.

"My tent has been washed away three times already," she said. "If the waves come up here, I'll have to go somewhere else for awhile.

"I've got a boat, just in case," she said, gesturing to a small dinghy tethered to her boyfriend's truck.

Farther down the highway, 27-year-old Tim Roggenbuck erected a barrier of sand and rock in an effort to keep the surf from reaching his tent.

Roggenbuck, an unemployed tile setter, has lived on the beach with his dog since December.

"I don't know what I'll do if it gets worse," Roggenbuck said as water washed over his feet and into the sandy crevices of his barrier. "I guess I'll take my dog, pack up my stuff and go to higher ground. There aren't many places to go, though."

Meanwhile, in urban Honolulu, lifeguards at Ala Moana Beach carried out 217 preventive actions. In Waikiki, there were a total of 390 preventive actions, 45 assists and 12 rescues, Cheplic said.