Strange Water Formation Seen

[harpoon71]

A couple sailing off the coast of Spain reported seeing a strange 'body of water' coming towards them.

They said the 'water' had the shape of a very very large human hand.

As the 'hand' got closer, it reared up, shook violently from side to side and crashed back into the ocean... sending spray all over the couple and their yacht.

Upon arrival, rather shook up, at their destination they reported the event.

Local fisherman said it wasn't anything to worry about as it was just a 'freak wave'.

[harpoon71]

I know this belongs in jokes....but it was a surprise attack !!!!

Ha ha ha.

[ragdoll]

"ALIENS" got to look out fer em,

[tager]

I think it was bwalker42 from sailnet.

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by tager

I think it was bwalker42 from sailnet.

Probably!

[HHNTR111]

What was in their brownies??

[goboatingnow]

Its a well known phenomia , named the "the Rioja effect"

[s/v Jedi]

Must have been like this one that almost got us!

cheers,
Nick.

[mintyspilot]

What is that? Oil?

[MarkJ]

Yeah, Nicks pic is the sort of thing it could be.
Often the current in the 2 water bodies is flowing in different dirrections so the wind waves affect it differently. Can be weird stuff! Check the bottom too because if its shallow or has undulations it can make things quite strange, especially at night. Eddies and whirlpools (small) can occur too.

By the time we work out what the hell is going on its normally all over, but sometimes you have to go searching for the edge to get back into the positive current.



Mark

[delmarrey]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Must have been like this one that almost got us!

cheers,
Nick.

This is like the Fraser River that dumps outside of Vancouver in BC except that it's brown and blue.

[mintyspilot]

The darker water is distinctly more "choppy" with a shorter wavelength so I guess it cannot be oil as that would produce smoother water.

How very odd.

[Ocean Girl]

Originally Posted by mintyspilot

How very odd.

Welcome to the sea and all her odd ways . Mark is right when these things happen they are usually over before we can figure out what the heck is going on. Usually I didn't even repeat my observation to the other crew members. Sometime trying to describe what you saw on your watch can make ya sound a bit crazy. In other words, weird glowy things, strange behavior of the sea life, and odd water formations are better left unsaid (twitch twitch).
Erika

[maxingout]

When we were in Fiji, there was a yacht sailing on to Australia who saw a huge mass of water shoot up in the air not far from their yacht. They reported that an area of water the size of a city block suddenly shot up into the air for hundreds of feet. It happened several times, which scared them a great deal.

There wasn't any smoke or ash with the aquatic block of water that shot into the air. The didn't know what caused it.

I am guessing that it was related to release of gas under the sea or underwater volcanic or seismic activity. Weird stuff happens at sea.

[s/v Jedi]

The photo shows the outflow of the mighty Rio Magdelena off Barranquilla in Colombia. The dark blue water is the Caribbean Sea color here, filled with big eye tuna and the muddy water is the river that continues for many miles into the sea.

ciao!
Nick.