Realistic video of waves

[lestersails]

I wonder if this is a version of the problem I have with GPS. When I am looking at a printed chart, I feel that I can perceive both the full breadth and scale of the map at the same time that I can mentally focus on a detail on the map. I can scale small objects in relation to larger ones, distances, etc. I think this is because I use my brain for the focusing on details part (I am processing and concentrating on a small sector of the chart) whereas on a GPS screen I cannot see the details if I am zoomed out and I cannot get the broader context of where I am when I am zoomed in. I really think GPS is in many ways superior to a printed chart, but definitely inferior in this respect. I always want a printed chart within reach, even when I am primarily using GPS.
Do others have this problem?

I wonder if this is the same lack of scaling effect that some of you are noting.

[GordMay]

FWIW:
Wave Height is the vertical distance, between the crest (peak), and the trough of a wave.

The Still-Water Line is the level of the water surface, if it were perfectly calm, and flat.
The Crest is the highest point on the wave, above the still-water line.
The Trough is the lowest point on the wave, below the still-water line.

Significant Wave Heights describe the average height, of the highest third, of the waves, over time.
It is measured by the height difference between the wave crest, and the preceding wave trough.

Total wave height is the combined height of the sea, and the swell, that mariners experience on open water. It may also be referred as the combined sea and swell, or significant wave height.

How to calculate the combined sea and swell height ➥ How to calculate the combined sea and swell height

[Bill_Giles]

We know that painters have great difficulty in rendering realistic waves. We also know that wave height is very difficult to judge. We have a wave recording buoy near my home and its location is visible from my house although it is hard to see. It is obvious that a wave of say 1 metre (3ft) presents differently almost every time depending on wind direction, length of fetch, direction of tide viv a vis wind direction, length of time it blows etc. Certainly from my perspective and view of the buoy area it is difficult to judge between say 3, 4 and 5m. The latter being about our record height. The other thing is that when aboard the waves look different when looking downwind and upwind. The waves have got to be pretty big and short to have that scary moment looking down into a great hollow. The Med is notorious for this are the top few feet of water are warm and lower it is colder. This means that the top layer acts like a shallow sea with shorter, sharper waves.

[pbmaise]

Originally Posted by NBs

Hi,

Hi, I have noticed that the following waves seem higher than the bow waves.

NBs

There is perhaps very good reasons. It has to do with waves being asymmetric and your position relative to the wave.

When you are looking at on coming waves...there is a long length of the vessel in front of you. Waves coming head on will be farther away when the bow begins to tilting upwards.

When you are looking at a wave coming from behind, the stern of the vessel is not lifted upwards as soon.

In my case I think fear also enters into the equation. My cockpit had little drainage and acted like a big bathtub ready to fill. It was never swamped by an on coming wave. However, it has been swamped by following waves that didn't look so big.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by GordMay

FWIW:
Wave Height is the vertical distance, between the crest (peak), and the trough of a wave.

The Still-Water Line is the level of the water surface, if it were perfectly calm, and flat.
The Crest is the highest point on the wave, above the still-water line.
The Trough is the lowest point on the wave, below the still-water line.

Significant Wave Heights describe the average height, of the highest third, of the waves, over time.
It is measured by the height difference between the wave crest, and the preceding wave trough.

Total wave height is the combined height of the sea, and the swell, that mariners experience on open water. It may also be referred as the combined sea and swell, or significant wave height.

How to calculate the combined sea and swell height ➥ How to calculate the combined sea and swell height

This..
Waves are the things that sit on top of the swell and are created by the wind in your locale..
Swell is created by low pressure systems sometimes 1000nm or more away.
When I did my Nov/Dec Biscay crossing from Ushant to Viviero the Spanish Met was reporting sea's 0f 10-11 metres and winds of 50-60kts.. the sea's looked massive but the actual waves breaking near the top were not that big, maybe 5ft or so but still packed a punch if you took them wrong.
I stopped saying 'huge waves' a long time ago..
The swell is actually an early warning system for heavy weather approaching and time to start prepping and maybe running S if your in the N Atlantic.

[GordMay]

In all North American marine weather forecasts, the heights of "Seas, Swells, or Waves" will always be the "Significant Height," whether stipulated, or not, in the forecast.

Significant Wave Height is the average of the highest one-third [33%] of waves [measured from trough to crest], that occur over a given time period, within the forecast area.

As a general rule, the largest individual wave, one may encounter, will be about twice the Significant Wave Height.
It is estimated that approximately one in every 3,000 waves will reach twice the height of the significant wave height; or roughly equivalent to three times, every 24 hours.

[Jeffrey1950]

This is what I think…..

[Kit_L]

Someone may have mentioned this (got Marine Rescue duty this morning), but the main reason videoed waves look much smaller on the video is that (assuming shot with a phone) most phones have an equivalent field of view similar to a 28mm lens, in 35mm photography terms. A wide angle lens, in other words. The visual effect is that footage shot on these looks further away than what the eye sees (roughly 45mm equivalent), and hence waves on video look smaller than in real life The lack of a fixed reference is part of this effect, too.

[dannc]

Once upon a time, we were on a trawler off the coast of Ireland in a gale. We had a schedule to keep....

The winds eventually got up to 35ish knots and the wave height was eight feet or so. I can't remember if that wave height is from our guesses and/or weather reports. Not sure of the wind speed when I took these images.

This image is at 70mm.



This image was at 35mm.



And this image was at 70mm



I was having to stand up like Pop Eye The Sailor Man, because even with paravanes, we were rolling pretty good. My eye height was about 7-8 eight feet above the water line so I am looking down at some of the waves. I think. But I can't tell if the boat was in the wave trough or on top of a wave. The waves in the last image are a good distance from the boat so it is hard to tell the orientation of the boat, and thus camera height to the wave.

At one point the waves were very steep, and I went out on deck to get images but those images must not have been any good, because I can't find them. I remember taking the images as the boat was moving around, and saying to myself to get back inside, because it would be easy to go overboard, and in those seas, I would never be found alive.

We had already spent some time trying to avoid crab pot "bouys" and managed to hook one on a paravane.

We eventually went around a point/head and the seas calmed right down. Amazing how that works.

Later,
Dan

[mglonnro]

From the Fastnet race. It looks tough, but I'm sure the waves looked bigger irl

https://www.facebook.com/reel/302981055446643

[GordMay]

The 1979 Fastnet Race:

Video ➥ https://youtu.be/4GspaMfHCqw

[ysignal]

I think its just the 3d. Without 3d vision the waves just merge into eachother. Theres nothing to distinguish between blue water closer to or further away from the camera. Ive thought about how I could better capture it on video but short of a 3d camera I can't think of a way other than emphasising the movement of the boat.

[ysignal]

Originally Posted by GordMay

The 1979 Fastnet Race:

Video ➥ https://youtu.be/4GspaMfHCqw

Sweet photos.

If you imagine the first one without the white crest, you wouldn't see the size of the wave at all.

It pretty annoying for video makers

[Oceanride007]

You need something to scale. Heres a still image.

[boatman61]

Here's a couple more to scale..