Here is the same swell:
http://www.surfline.com/surf-news/best-of-the-web-ala-moana_58875/#
Yes, they make it to Hawaii. The fun part is the actual swell is focused on mainland South America.
Hope you can see this:
http://www.surfline.com/surfline/lola/spaallhgtanim.jsp
The irony is that "huge" swell that hit Hawaii was the very fringe of the swell that nailed Tahiti, on it's way to Chile and Peru. Once a swell is formed, it's very hard to stop. It may hit islands, but, it does have parts of the swell that goes around them. As the swells start, they are very intense, short duration. They sort of spread out like a shotgun blast as they move across the ocean.
David is right, in that a 17 second swell is traveling 25 miles an hour across the Pacific.
I don't know how fast a 21-22 second swell is moving, but, it's faster by a large amount then 25 miles an hour. A 13-14 second swell moves at around 15 miles an hour.
The problem becomes not only are the waves much taller then normal, but they are geometrically thicker, and, they are moving much faster then you are used to, making getting over the ledge to the bottom of the wave much more difficult.
I used to compare surfing Wiamea and Sunset Beach to pulling yourself along with your arms, while on a skateboard, on a semi truck, going 25 miles an hour, into a 30 mile an hour wind, with some one shooting you with a firehose. You then have to jump to your feet, blinded by the spray, land on your board, find your balance, and pray you've made it half way down the face.
