If you’re going to be in Waikiki this weekend and are set on enjoying the beach, be sure to do so during low-tide. And indeed, Honolulu Magazine photographer, Aaron Yoshino, has already been posting photos of water taking over the beach and backing up beach showers on his personal Instagram account. In fact, some hotels, such as the Outrigger Reef, are already placing sandbags around the beach-facing side of their property. However, during king tides, much of Waikiki beach may be inundated with water, especially during peak high-tides. The erosion also means that the portions of beach that do remain are often quite slim. Not only does this mean there’s less beach for visitors to enjoy, but it also puts hotels fronting those sections at greater risk of coastal flooding. Waikiki already is already suffering from major erosion issues, which means sections of the beach often completely disappear. But Waikiki, which is located on Oahu’s south shore, is especially susceptible to these unusually high tides. The majority of Hawaii’s hotels are located along beaches. The south shores of the islands are already the hardest hit by the king tides, so the increased waves aren’t going to help. Worst yet, this weekend’s king tides are coinciding with a south swell.

The tides will peak on Friday at 5:07 pm and Saturday at 5:55 pm, though they’ll affect the islands Thursday through Sunday. Unfortunately, this means that a king tide will occur during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. This year, king tides are forecasted to occur May 25 through 28, June 23-24, and July 21-23. And while normal, this year’s tides will be amongst the highest king tides Hawaii has ever seen. In Hawaii, these king tides usually occur during the spring and summer. King tides occur a few times a year all over the world. However, the Hawaii king tides rolling in this year will be among the biggest seen yet. Hawaii, being in the middle of the Pacific are susceptible to these tides too. King tides are especially hight tides that occur a few times a year.

Tide graph wikiki