Seen a Freak Wave Lately ?

[troppo]

Rogue waves (freak waves, extreme waves) are the focus of an article in Australian Science, June 2010. The author, Murray Rudman, says they are more common than previously thought. He gave some stories. In 1925 one hit a sister ship of the Titanic, called Olympic, the wave was 72 foot high. In 1978, the 37,000 tonne cargo vessel, MS Munchen was hit by a wave 24-30 metres high. In 1995 one hit the Draupner oil platform in the North Sea. The platform's wave measuring equipment showed it was 25.6 metres high.

Those are big waves!

In 2001, satellites monitoring the world's oceans spotted more than 10 freak waves over 25 metres high in three weeks.

Anyone run into any freaks lately? What happened?

[Jim Cate]

G'Day Troppo,

Actually, most of the freaks I see don't wave at all. Sometimes a rude gesture, but hardly ever do they wave. And they are seldom nearly that tall... wow, a 25 meter freak!

And on a more serious note, in over 125000 sea miles, we have never seen anything like those waves that you describe... thankfully!

Cheers,

Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Church Point, NSW, Oz

[Patient]

The K3 buoy off of Portugal has a 60' Wave height in its history.

The bearing sea buoys have a couple eye openers too.

Scary stuff.

[markpierce]

Experienced some fifty-foot waves last month for 36 hours in the mid-northern Atlantic on a 900-foot-something cruise ship last month. Don't consider them freak waves, however, because they were repetitive.

[savoir]

Freak waves exist only within the pens of lazy journalists and foolhardy boaters attempting to justify their ignorance and stupidity. It makes the story easier to tell. There are big waves and there are bigger waves but neither is freakish, rather they closely resemble the one before and the one after.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by savoir

Freak waves exist only within the pens of lazy journalists and foolhardy boaters attempting to justify their ignorance and stupidity. It makes the story easier to tell. There are big waves and there are bigger waves but neither is freakish, rather they closely resemble the one before and the one after.

So that must mean that the bbc and scientificamerican are lazy journalists.

BBC - Science & Nature - Horizon - Freak Wave
The Real Sea Monsters: On the Hunt for Rogue Waves: Scientific American

[markpierce]

Having done some five trans-Atlantic ocean cruises on large cruise ships over the past few years and encountering serious weather (50- to 60-foot waves) on two of them, I'd never contemplate a transoceanic voyage on a boat not capable of handling such conditions.

[markpierce]

On one trans-Atlantic cruise from England to Florida we encountered a hurricane. On the 13th deck, the bow-spray was raining down the windows of the lounge (fortunately, the waves were coming head on). I asked an adjacent passenger if he had seen such as this. Yes he had. On an previous cruise with the same cruise line there was a freak wave that broke into the bow-facing cabins.

[savoir]

Originally Posted by conachair

So that must mean that the bbc and scientificamerican are lazy journalists.

BBC - Science & Nature - Horizon - Freak Wave
The Real Sea Monsters: On the Hunt for Rogue Waves: Scientific American

That's right. Freak wave stories are horrific and horror sells. Just ask Steven King. Your links prove only that there are some very big waves out there but they may well have been matched by 1000 others in that area on the day.

[markpierce]

That's darn right, as in the un-truths in the recent PBS program on Cuba's health care system. Take care. Ninety-percent of the "journalists" have a personal agenda. Many want us to have the life-style of Cubans.

[boatman61]

Also any sailor on a small boat is not gonna see them... or really feel them as he'll be hove to and down below if he's any sense... unless of course it breaks right over him... then its green water over the deck hatches..
Remember these big ships are usually making way into the seas... speed plus huge displacement is gonna increase the effect as two opposing forces meet.

[markpierce]

That's right. A boat is best "bobbing along" on a sea anchor, praying the cresting waves won't overturn it.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by markpierce

That's right. A boat is best "bobbing along" on a sea anchor, praying the cresting waves won't overturn it.

LOL.... I've only been in the small stuff...8 - 10 metres and believe me thats all your capable of... or should I say.. I'm capable of..
Though I believe there are those who've "Battled through 30 - 40ft sea's.."

[markpierce]

Gee, guys, I'm on deck 6.5, at least fifty or more feet above sea level, and look what's coming!

[GordMay]

Rogue or Freak Waves are defined as waves that are more than double the significant wave height (SWH), which is itself defined as the mean of the largest third of waves in a wave record.
They are NOT the invention of lazy or sensationalist journalists.