A bit more reading on the eddies.

"They form and dissipate along fronts and move across the ocean. At the ocean surface eddies may manifest as swirling areas of high or low temperature or salinity, or elevated or depressed water levels."

"The sea level will rise if the density of the water decreases and fall if it increases. Changes in density occur in response to changes in ocean temperature and salinity. As water gets cooler or more salty it becomes denser and contracts. As it gets warmer or less salty it becomes less dense and expands"
http://www.pacificstormsclimatology.org/index.php?page=glossary

It seems that eddies may cause an upwelling of cold water which thus affects the water temperature which in turn would cause a contraction in the water thus resulting in lower tides - or vice verca for anti-cyclone eddies.

I do seem to remember that the time that you reported this extreme low tide was not during a full moon - which is the time of spring tides - so the eddy is a more likely explanation.

So my guess is that the driftwood disappeared due to an underwater cyclone - but normal transmission should be resumed at some point. Actually, the driftwood is actually on a continual giant loop around the Pacific ocean - occasionally disrupted by these eddies.