City lifeguards posted red warning flags at Waimea Bay, but the monster surf that surfers expected turned out to be only about 10 feet high this morning.

Kaz Sano, 35, operates a surf website called "novusswell.com" and was videotaping surfers since 6:15 this morning.

Sano estimated waves heights of 14 foot faces, but said: "It’s still building."

The National Weather Service continued a high surf advisory this morning. The advisory is in effect until tomorrow morning.

A northwest swell is expected to bring rising surf to North Shore beaches with surf expected to reach heights of 14 to 18 feet, the weather service said.

Derek Wong, 20, of Kalihi, emerged from the line up at around 7:30 a.m.. and said the waves were "a solid 6-Hawaiian style."

He caught about eight waves in an hour of surfing and said the lineup of surfers were getting crowded.

He reluctantly left to attend an acting class at Kapiolani Community College that "begins at 10:45 or maybe at 11."

Alberto Maldornado, 48, of Kailua, brought his friend, Dominic Perron, 23, who had never surfed at Waimea before.

Perron has enlisted in the Navy as an officer and warranted to surf Waimea Bay before he ships out on Oct. 23.

They were hoping for wave heights of 12 to 15, and Maldornado said its "a solid 10 with an occasional 12."