Monday, January 21, 2013

Dig This, Beaches and Vacos represent the cream of the eight-team crop featured in the NMI Volleyball Association/Godfathers House Bar's Co-Ed Sunset Beach Volleyball Tournament, which started back on Jan. 11 on Fiesta Resort & Spa's sand courts.

The frontrunner squads made it unscathed through the second round of play last Friday and got automatic finals bids this Friday evening at 5pm.

Dig This, Beaches advanced over the Managaha Boyz, 15-8, and, 15-6; while Vacos defeated Harapwang Face also in two sets, 15-6, and, 15-12.

The lower bracket results include team Managaha and Monam'Ko living on to fight another day.

Managaha ousted Something Fishy, 15-3, and, 15-9; while Monam'Ko eliminated team Fiesta Resort & Spa, 15-10, and, 15-7.

Managaha will take on the Managaha Boyz and Harapwang Face collides with Monam'Ko in this Friday's lower bracket matches.

Matches were formatted as a best-of-three set series with game point for the first two matches set at 15 with a cap of 21 with the third set played out as a race to seven with the cap removed; up to six players can be on a team and four required on the court with coed rules in effect at all times.

Modest cash prizes, in-kind gifts, and bragging rights go to the overall winners; the finals are scheduled for February 15.

Fiesta, Brabu, KZMI 103.9 FM, and Gold's Gym also sponsor the event. The proceeds benefit NMIVA's youth volleyball development programs and international travel.

Read more from the original source:

Dig This, Beaches and Vacos advance to semis

PORT ANGELES, Wash.

A scientist monitoring the shoreline near the mouth of the Olympic Peninsula's Elwha River says beaches are starting to grow as two massive dams are removed.

Ian Miller, a coastal hazards specialist, tells the Peninsula Daily News ( http://is.gd/k9t0fH) that some of the sediment held back for nearly a century by the Elwha and Glines Canyon dams is accumulating in sand bars shaped nearly every day by the river's flow. Beaches to the east of the Elwha's mouth are growing slightly and becoming sandier as more sediment is released.

Miller regularly surveys four sites near the mouth: three just to the east and one just to the west.

A key question is how much Elwha sediment is reaching the surrounding shorelines, and whether it can stop or reverse beach erosion that has been documented for decades.

The Elwha Dam was removed last spring. The Glines Canyon Dam is expected to be removed by May.

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Information from: Peninsula Daily News, http://www.peninsuladailynews.com

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Scientist: Beaches grow as Elwha dams are removed

The soaring temperatures which hit Christchurch over the weekend are set to continue this week.

MetServiceduty forecasterPhilippa Murdochsaid a ridge was building over most of the country, bringing clear skies and warm weather to Christchurch.

"It's going to be fine today. Tomorrow and Wednesday will be warm and sunny with some cloudy periods developing tomorrow evening," she said.

"Today we're expecting a high of 19 degrees, but tomorrow a high of 26 and a high of 29 degrees on Wednesday".

However, the weather would take a turn on Thursday with a period of rain."It will cool off a little bit and we are forecasting some showers."

Murdoch was hopeful the wet spell would be over before next weekend."It's a little harder to forecast that far away, but at this stage it is looking like it will clear."

The balmy weekend weather saw thousands at Christchurch beaches.

Met Service forecaster Ian Gall said some parts of the city exceeded 30 degrees on Saturday and yesterday the mercury rose to about 25C.

Winds reached about 65 kilometres per hour on Saturday, strong enough to be noticed but not strong enough to cause damage.

A Taylors Mistake Surf Life Saving spokeswoman said it had been "an awesome weekend". At its busiest, more than 1500 people were on the beach.

Read more:

Canterbury cools off on the beaches

Warning level surf shut down several beaches along the north and west-facing shores of several islands Saturday.

Big and sloppy waves crashed into the rocks at Shark's Cove on Oahu's North Shore, where yellow tape kept people out of the water and away from the shoreline. Visitors were cautioned to keep a safe distance.

"Although we are not enforcement people, we like to support the lifeguards, and we will recommend that today is not a day to go in the water," said John Cutting of the group Malama Pupukea-Waimea. Group members had an informational tent set up at Shark's Cove, and were talking to visitors about the Pupukea Marine Life Conservation District -- and the big waves.

"The surf is large, it's unruly, and wind is blowing from the ocean to the land, making it confused, chaotic, not really user-friendly for swimmers, surfers or anybody," said Ocean Safety Capt. John Hoogsteden.

On Kauai, the Fire Department's Ocean Bureau closed beaches at Kee, Haenaand Pine Trees, and allowed only limited swimming at Hanalei Pier. Big waves yesterday swept two men, 46-year-old Adam Griffiths and 47-year-old Brian Baker, out to sea. Both men were visitors from San Francisco.

On the Big Island, officials closed Kahaluu and Laaloa Beach Parks for another day Sunday.

On Oahu, the Emergency Services Division reported that as of late Saturday afternoon, Ocean Safety lifeguards had performed one rescue andhad taken1,090 preventative actionson the North Shore.The rescue involved a man in his 50s who was rescued after getting trouble near the shoreline at Waimea Bay. He was transported to the hospital in serious condition.

There were four rescues and 1,725 preventative actions on west shore beaches. Authorities also reported that a man who was rescued Friday from waters off Makaha Beach had died. He was identified as 40-year-old Eassie Miller of Waianae.

A High Surf Warning has been extended for the north and west facing shores of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai and Maui and the west shores of the Big Island until 6 p.m. Sunday.

Related story: Rescue crews recover one of two bodies off Kauai Beach

Link:

Deadly swell closes beaches from Kauai to the Big Island