The biggest wave in the world: still ahead. The highest waves in the world

24.09.2019

The biggest waves in the world are legendary. The stories about them are impressive, the painted pictures are amazing. But many believe that in reality there are no such high ones, and eyewitnesses simply exaggerate. Modern ways tracking and fixing leave no doubt: giant waves exist, this is an indisputable fact.

What are they

The study of the seas and oceans using modern instruments and knowledge made it possible to classify the degree of their excitement not only by the strength of the storm in points. There is another criterion - the causes of occurrence:

killer waves: these are giant wind waves;
tsunamis: arise as a result of the movement of tectonic plates, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions;
coastal ones appear in places with a special bottom topography;
underwater (seiches and microseiches): they are usually invisible from the surface, but they can be no less dangerous than surface ones.

The mechanics of the occurrence of the largest waves is completely different, as are the height and speed records set by them. Therefore, we will consider each category separately, and find out what heights they conquered.

killer waves

It is hard to imagine that a huge tall solitary killer wave really exists. But over the past decades, this statement has become a proven fact: they were recorded by special buoys and satellites. This phenomenon has been well studied in the framework of international project MaxWave, created to monitor all the seas and oceans of the world, where satellites of the European Space Agency. Scientists have used computer simulation to understand the causes of such giants.

An interesting fact: it was found that small waves are able to merge with each other, as a result of their total strength and the height is summed up. And when meeting with any natural barrier (shoal, reef), “wedging out” occurs, this further increases the strength of the waves of water.

Killer waves (they are also called solitons) arise as a result of natural processes: cyclones and typhoons change Atmosphere pressure, its drops can cause resonance, which provokes the appearance of the highest water columns in the world. They are able to move at great speed (up to 180 km / h) and rise to incredible heights (theoretically up to 60 m). Although these have not yet been observed, the recorded data is impressive:

in 2012 in southern hemisphere- 22.03 meters;
in 2013 in the north of the Atlantic - 19;
and a new record: near New Zealand on the night of May 8-9, 2018 - 23.8 meters.

These same high waves in the world have been seen by buoys and satellites, there is documentary evidence of their existence. So skeptics can no longer deny the existence of solitons. Their study is an important matter, because such a mass of water moving at great speed is capable of sinking any ship, even an ultra-modern liner.

Unlike the previous ones, tsunamis occur as a result of serious natural disasters. They are much higher than solitons and have incredible destructive power, even those that do not reach special heights. And they are dangerous not so much to those who are at sea as to residents of coastal cities. A powerful momentum during an eruption or earthquake raises giant layers of water, they are able to reach speeds of up to 800 km / h, and fall on the coast with incredible force. In the "risk zone" - bays with high coasts, seas and oceans with underwater volcanoes, areas with increased seismic activity. Lightning speed of occurrence, incredible speed, huge destructive power - this is how all known tsunamis can be characterized.

Here are a few examples that will convince everyone of the dangers of the highest waves in the world:

2011, Honshu Island: After an earthquake, a tsunami 40 meters high hit the coast of Japan, killing more than 15,000 people, and many thousands more are still missing. And the coast is completely destroyed.
2004, Thailand, the islands of Sumatra and Java: after an earthquake of magnitude more than 9 points, a monstrous tsunami with a height of more than 15 m swept across the ocean, the victims were in various places. Even in South Africa, people were dying 7,000 km from the epicenter. In total, about 300,000 people died.
1896, Honshu island: more than 10 thousand houses were destroyed, about 27 thousand people died;
1883, after the eruption of Krakatau: a tsunami about 40 meters high swept from Java and Sumatra, where more than 35 thousand people died (some historians believe that there were much more victims, about 200,000). And then, at a speed of 560 km / h, the tsunami crossed the Pacific and Indian oceans, past Africa, Australia and America. And reached the Atlantic Ocean: in Panama and France, changes in the water level were noted.

But the biggest wave in the history of mankind should be recognized as the tsunami in Lituya Bay in Alaska. Skeptics may doubt, but the fact remains: after the earthquake on the Fairweather fault on July 9, 1958, a supertsunami was formed. A giant column of water 524 meters high at a speed of about 160 km / h crossed the bay and the island of Cenotaphia, rolling over its highest point. In addition to eyewitness accounts of this disaster, there are other confirmations, for example, uprooted trees on highest point islands. The most surprising thing is that the casualties were minimal, the crew members of one longboat were killed. And the other, located nearby, was simply thrown over the island, and he ended up in the open ocean.

coastal waves

The constant roughness of the sea in narrow bays is not uncommon. Features of the coastline can provoke high and rather dangerous surf. Unrest water element may initially occur as a result of storms, the collision of ocean currents, at the "junction" of waters, for example, the Atlantic and indian ocean. It should be noted that such phenomena are permanent. Therefore, it can be called dangerous places. These are Bermuda, Cape Horn, the southern coast of Africa, the coast of Greece, the Norwegian shelves.

Such places are well known to sailors. It is not for nothing that Cape Horn has long enjoyed a “bad reputation” among sailors.

But in Portugal, in the small village of Nazare, the power of the sea began to be used for peaceful purposes. Surfers have chosen this coast, every winter a period of storms begins here and you can ride waves of 25-30 meters in height. It was here that the famous surfer Garrett McNamara set world records. The coasts of California, Hawaii and Tahiti are also popular with conquerors of the water element.

Underwater unrest

Not much is known about this phenomenon. Ocean scientists suggest that seiches and microseiches result from differences in water density. It is on the border of such a watershed that seiches occur. The layer separating the waters of different density first slowly rises, and then suddenly and sharply falls by almost 100 meters. Moreover, such movement is practically not felt on the surface. But for submarines, such a phenomenon is just a disaster. They abruptly fall to a depth where the pressure can many times exceed the strength of the hull. When investigating the causes of the death of the Thresher nuclear submarine in 1963, the seiches were the main version and the most plausible.

The biggest waves in history are most often associated with tragedies. Ships and people perished, coasts and infrastructure were destroyed, huge liners were washed ashore and entire cities were washed into the water. But it must be admitted that a huge column of water rushing at an incredible speed makes an indelible impression. This spectacle will always frighten and fascinate at the same time.

Waves, their beauty, continuous movement and variability never cease to amaze a person.

It is important to understand that changes in the ocean occur every second, the waves in it are infinitely different and unique.

Successful surfing is impossible without understanding how waves appear and propagate, which changes their speed, strength, shape, height.

Let's first understand the terminology.

wave anatomy

The periodic oscillation of the waters about the equilibrium position is called a wave.

She has the following elements:

sole- lower plane;
crest(linden, from English lip - lip);
front- crest line;
pipe(tube/barrel) - the area where the ridge meets the sole;
wall(wall) - the sloping part on which the surfer slides;
shoulder- the area where the wall becomes flat;
peak is the point of incidence of the wave;
impact zone- a place where linden falls.

Due to the variability of the waves, it is extremely difficult to measure them. Fluctuations are evaluated by several parameters.

Height- the distance from the sole to the ridge. They measure it differently. In reports for surfers indicate the difference in the oscillation of weather buoys. Sometimes the height of the wave is indicated in " growth».

Since the athlete glides along the wave, bending over, 1 "height" is approximately 1.5 meters.

Length is the distance between adjacent ridges.

steepness is the ratio of height to wavelength.

Period– time between two waves in a group (set).

Causes and features of wave formation

Contrary to naive ideas, a sea or ocean wave is not formed from coastal winds. The most common waves form far out in the ocean.

The wind, blowing in one direction for a long time, shakes huge masses of water, sometimes the size of a multi-storey building. Large winds are formed in the zone of extremely low pressure, characteristic of an anticyclone.

In moderate winds, the surface of the ocean appears cool short waves - "sheep".

At the inception stage 2D waves, whose height does not exceed the length, run in parallel elongated rows of ridges. As the wind increases, the crests disappear, and the wavelength grows faster.

When the wave and wind speeds equalize, the growth of the crests stops. From that moment on, the speed, length and period of the waves increase, and their height and steepness decrease. Such long waves more suitable for.

With a growing storm, younger waves overlap older ones, the sea seems to be erratic. When it reaches a peak, the waves become as long as possible, with extended fronts. Wherein the length of the ridges can increase to hundreds of meters(record - up to 1 km).

Waves whose crest is several times the wavelength are called three-dimensional. Most often, three-dimensional waves consist of alternating "hills", "bumps" and "troughs". Waves come in sets (groups) of 2–10. Most often, 3. Usually medium wave- the highest and correct in the set.

What moves the wind

Any new wave raises, then lowers the water masses.

Interesting fact: water particles do not move horizontally, but in an irregularly shaped circle or ellipse perpendicular to the wave front.

In fact, the trajectory of the movement of water particles resembles loops: the intensive rotation of the "water wheel" is superimposed by a weak forward movement towards the wind.

This is how the profile of the wave is formed: its windward slope is gentle, and the leeward slope is steep.

Because of this, the ridges collapse, forming foam.

It is not the mass of water that moves during the wind, but the profile of the wave. So, lost by the surfer will swing back and forth, up and down, slowly moving towards the shore.

What sets the wave parameters

They depend on the speed, duration of the wind, changes in its direction; from the depth of the reservoir, the length of the wave acceleration.

Last determined by the size of the water area.

The action of the wind should be enough to cover the entire space.

That's why stable waves for are usually found on the ocean coast.

Changes in wind speed and direction more than 45 degrees, the old oscillations slow down, then form new system waves.

Swells

Having reached the maximum size, the waves set off on a journey to the shores. They align: smaller ones are absorbed by large ones, slow ones are absorbed by fast ones.

An array of waves of the same size and power generated by a storm is called swell. The path of a swell to the shore can last thousands of kilometers.

Distinguish wind and bottom swells.

First not suitable for surfing: in it the waves will not travel a long distance and will break already at great depths.
Second- what you need, its long fast waves will pass long way and will be steeper when broken.

Swells differ in amplitude and period. More period- better and smoother waves.

In Bali, waves with a period of less than 11 seconds are called wind swells. From 16 seconds - excellent waves, a period of 18 seconds - good luck, which surfers flock to catch.

For every spot the optimal direction of the swell is known, at which high-quality waves are formed.

Waves crashing

Moving towards the shore, while bumping into shallows, reefs, islands, the waves gradually waste their former power.

The longer the distance away from the center of the storm, the weaker they are.

When meeting with shallow water, rolling water masses have nowhere to go, they move up.

The period of the waves decreases, they seem to shrink, slow down, become shorter and steeper. This is how the surf wave grows.

Finally, the crests capsize, breaking or breaking the waves. The greater the depth difference, the steeper and higher the wave will be!

It occurs near reefs, rocks, shipwrecks, on a steep sandbank.

Ridge growth starts at depth half wave height.

Wind directions

rise at dawn to
ride in calm water on smooth water - it's the perfect setting.

The quality of the waves depends on the coastal wind, some of the highest quality -.

Onshore- Wind blowing from the ocean.

He "blows off" the crests, crushes the waves, as a result they become tuberculate; doesn't let them get up.

Onshore forces the waves to close ahead of time. This is worst for surf wind, it can ruin the whole skating.

It is dangerous when the directions of the wind and the swell coincide.

offshore– wind from the shore towards the ocean.

If he does not fly in gusts, then he gives the waves the correct shape, “raises” them and pushes back the moment of collapse.

It's the wind perfect for surfing.

Crossshore- wind along the shore.

It does not improve sometimes spoils a lot wave front.

Wave types

closeout- a closed wave that breaks immediately along its entire length, therefore unsuitable for skiing.

gentle waves do not differ in speed and steepness. With a slight slope of the bottom, they break slowly without forming a high wall and pipe, therefore recommended for beginners.

Plunging waves- powerful, fast, high waves that occur with a sharp drop in depth. Create opportunities for tricks. They form inside the cavity - pipes that allow you to make passages inside.

Preferred for professionals, are dangerous for beginners - they fall more often.

Types of surf spots

The place where the wave rises is called surf spot. The nature of the wave is determined by the features of the seabed.

Beach break- a place where the waves break on the sandy bottom. On the site with different depth the wave bends and collapses towards the shallows. This creates an opportunity for the surfer to glide across the water wall.

Video

Watch a video about the conquest of a giant wave by a surfer:

Ocean, sand, beach, cocktail, sun lounger and waves 30 meters high. Yes, it's all in one place, but, fortunately, in different time. How can this be? We go to the town of Nazare for west coast Portugal. It is here, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, that you can see a relaxed beach holiday, and the biggest waves in the world.

This landmark of Portugal is located between the capital of Lisbon and the city of Porto.

small in summer resort town Nazare, with a population of about 15,000, is the country's classic tourist attraction. Its long sandy beaches occupied by tourists from all over the world. They bask in the gentle sun, bathe in Atlantic Ocean. All in all, a relaxing holiday.

In winter, everything changes dramatically. Beach tourists are replaced by extreme people and lovers of unusual natural phenomena. During this period, you can observe the formation of giant waves that crash on the coast almost at arm's length. This phenomenon, incredible in its power and amazing in its beauty, attracts both travelers and the most desperate surfers.

Who produces the biggest waves on the planet

Once again, we recall that almost everything amazing, beautiful, sometimes frightening, but bewitching on our planet is produced by nature. In this case, the giant waves were created by the atypical topography of the ocean floor near the city of Nazare, in particular the underwater North Canyon of Nazare. This depression in the bottom surface reaches almost to the very shore, forming a kind of springboard for ocean waves.

It should be noted that Nazare Canyon is recognized as the deepest in Europe and one of the deepest in the world. It is located not parallel to the coast, but perpendicular. Its length is 227 km, and the depth reaches 5 kilometers (this is almost half the depth Mariana Trench). As you approach the coast, the depth decreases sharply, creating a barrier to the path of the wave and multiplying its height. There are conditions under which colossal masses of water must jump over this obstacle. Do not forget, all this happens in close proximity to tourists.

In the pictures below you can see the geological reasons for the appearance of huge waves.

A typical scheme for the formation of a giant wave

But that is not all. The bottom topography alone is not enough to get the highest waves. This requires a combination of many factors.

Hell of a cocktail to get the biggest waves

The presence of the canyon creates special conditions to create big waves. It splits the wave into two parts. One part increases its speed when passing through the canyon, and the second part reunites with the first part at the exit of the canyon into one big wave.

The opposite ocean current coming from the beach can add a few more meters.

For the birth of a giant wave, the wave period is important, which should be about 14 seconds. The wind, oddly enough, should be weak. The direction of the wave is very important, ideally it should come from the west or northwest. As a plus to these factors, storms are added in the northern part of the Atlantic, occurring during the autumn - winter. The combination of these factors can increase several times the usual ocean wave.

How often do big waves appear

Looking at the photos on the Internet, as well as on our website, you might think that giant waves in Nazar are formed almost every minute. But it's not. A little higher, you learned how many phenomena are required to come together to get a huge wave. It doesn't happen that often.

The Big Waves season in Nazaré falls between October and February. During these months, there are usually 1 to 6 giant waves and tens and hundreds of much smaller waves. If you want to see a truly huge wave, then plan to spend at least 2 weeks here, or follow the forecasts on surfer sites. For a large wave, the forecast should indicate a wave size of more than 3 meters, a wave period of more than 13 seconds, and a slight northerly wind.

If you are already there, then check the state of the sea in real time through the online forecast and webcams. But, even if all forecasts point to ideal conditions large waves, then everything can change in just an hour and spoil the day with a favorable forecast.

But in Peru you can see the longest sea waves in the world. They are much safer than the waves in Nazar, and you can ride them for up to several minutes in a row, passing more than one hundred meters on the crest of one wave.

The story of conquering the giant waves of Nazaré

There are people in the world who "don't feed honey", just let them conquer the biggest waves. They are usually called surfers. They, probably, with the advent of boards began to collect the most best places for your hobby. They did not bypass the waves near the city of Nazare. For the first time, surfers were noticed here back in the 60s of the last century. Since then they have been frequent guests here. But there is no data on the conquest of huge waves. It was only in November 2011 that the world learned about the taking of the biggest wave. Then Gareth McNamara, a surfer from the Hawaiian Islands, conquered a wave 24 meters high. The brave comrade did not calm down and in January 2013 he broke his own record by taking a 30-meter wave.

Gareth was the first to describe the sensations of such adventures. This proved to be incredibly difficult due to the unpredictability of wave behavior.

In this event, McNamara involved three assistants and one wife (his own). At the moment of wave formation, the first assistant on the jet ski tries to drag the surfer as high as possible on the crest, and keeps close to him for safety net. Look at the photo of these waves, and you will understand that it is unrealistic to swim to them on your own.

A little further away, the second assistant runs and insures both. The third one watches over all the others. And watching everything from the shore gray-haired wife and gives instructions to her husband on how best to catch the wave.

The first time everything went well and no help was needed, but the second time he proved the effectiveness of triple insurance. Then the first assistant was washed away by a wave from the jet ski, and the second assistant pulled out the surfer, and the third one pulled out the first one.

The danger of such adventures is extremely high, so surfers try not to climb waves 30 meters high without much need. They only do it for the records.

In October 2013, Brazilian surfer Carlos Berl rode a wave that turned out to be even bigger. But there is no absolutely accurate data on the height of subdued waves, since it is rather problematic to make measurements.

Annual meeting of surfers in Nazar

Despite the danger of such big waves, since 2016 Nazare has hosted a meeting or competition of surfers Nazare Challenge - WSL Big Wave Tour under the control of the World Surf League. This competition brings together the best surfers from all over the world and lasts only one day. In addition, it does not have a fixed date. It all depends on the forecasts of the state of the sea. The period of holding or better to say waiting is from October 15 to February 28. The day of the competition is approved 3 days before its holding. This is the best that can be achieved with modern technology forecasting sea conditions and wind.

For surfers, this is a milestone event. Here is how one of the participants describes it -
"What followed after the starting signal was a dizzying, wild and unprecedented display of courage, stupidity and skill"

Where is the best place to watch the biggest waves

The best way to watch a giant wave is to stand on its crest on a surfboard. Any surfer will say that. Well, for ordinary tourists it is best to do this from Cape Nazare, on which the lighthouse is located. Since the place is very interesting, you are unlikely to get lost. Fort San Miguel Arcanjo is also located here. You can also go down to the sand on the beach dirt road but be very careful. In the Big Wave season it is very dangerous.

Now, in addition to big waves, the attraction of Nazare are surfers who “ride” them. This, incidentally, gives a good idea of the size of the waves. When you see a little man running away from a multi-ton huge wave, you can imagine how great and powerful not only the Russian language is, but also the Atlantic Ocean.

As a rule, many Famous places for surfing have a bottom topography similar to that near Nazare, but on a smaller scale. The most famous are Teahupoo in Tahiti, Banzai Pipeline in Hawaii and Maverick's Beach off the coast of California.
Local fishermen have long been afraid of this place. There have been several shipwrecks here. At the bottom of the canyon is a sunken German Submarine times of World War II

In December 2004, a photo of the biggest wave in the world spread around all the publications of the world. On December 26, an earthquake occurred in Asia, which resulted in a tsunami wave that killed more than 235,000 people.

The media published photos of the destruction, assuring readers and viewers that there has never been a big wave in the world. But the journalists were cunning ... Indeed, in terms of its destructive power, the tsunami of 2004 is one of the most deadly. But the magnitude (height) of this wave is rather modest: it did not much exceed 15 meters. History knows higher waves, about which one can say: “Yes, this is the most a big wave in the world!"

Waves-record holders

Where are the biggest waves

Scientists are sure that the highest waves are not caused by earthquakes (because of them, tsunamis are more often formed), but by ground collapses. That's why high waves are most often:

… And other killer waves

Not only giant waves are dangerous. There is a more terrible variety: single killer waves. They come from nowhere, their height rarely exceeds 15 meters. But the pressure that they exert on all the objects they meet exceeds 100 tons per centimeter (ordinary waves "press" with a force of only 12 tons). These waves are practically not studied. It is only known that oil rigs and she crumples the ships like a sheet of plain paper.

Why does Nazar have the biggest waves in the world? July 15th, 2017

There is a place in the world from which photo and video reports about giant waves are often taken. For the past few years, records in Big Wave surfing for the largest wave taken (both by hand and with the help of a jet) have been set on the same Nazaré wave. The first such record was set by Hawaiian surfer Garrett McNamara in 2011 with a wave height of 24 meters. Then, in 2013, he broke his record by riding a wave 30 meters high.

Why exactly in this place are the biggest waves in the world?

Let's first recall the mechanism of wave formation:

So, it all starts far, far away in the ocean, where the wind blows strong winds and storms rage. As we know from school course geography, the wind blows from the area with high blood pressure to the low area. In the ocean, these areas are separated by many kilometers, so the wind blows over a very large area of the ocean, transferring some of its energy to the water through friction. Where it happens, the ocean is more like a bubbling soup - have you ever seen a storm at sea? It's about the same there, only the scale is larger. There are small and large waves, all mixed up, superimposed on each other. However, the energy of water also does not stand still, but moves in a certain direction.

Due to the fact that the ocean is very, very large, and the waves different size moving with different speed, during the time until all this seething porridge reaches the shore, it is “sifted”, some small waves add up with others into large ones, others, on the contrary, mutually annihilate. As a result, what is called Groung Swell comes to the shore - smooth ridges of waves, divided into sets from three to nine with large intervals of calm between them.

However, not every swell is destined to become surfing waves. Although, it is more correct to say - not everywhere. In order for a wave to be caught, it must break in a certain way. Wave formation for surfing depends on the structure of the bottom in the coastal zone. The ocean is very deep, so the mass of water moves evenly, but as it approaches the coast, the depth begins to decrease, and the water that moves closer to the bottom, for lack of another way out, begins to rise to the surface, thereby raising waves. In the place where the depth, or rather the shallowness, reaches a critical value, the rising wave can no longer become larger and collapses. The place where this happens is called the lineup, and that's where the surfers sit, waiting for the right wave.

The shape of the wave directly depends on the shape of the bottom: the sharper it becomes shallow, the sharper the wave. Usually the sharpest and even trumpeting waves are born where the height difference is almost instantaneous, for example, at the bottom of a huge stone or the beginning of a reef plateau.

Photo 2.

Where the drop is gradual and the bottom is sandy, the waves are gentler and slower. It is these waves that are best suited for learning to surf, so all surf schools conduct the first lessons for beginners on sandy beaches.

Photo 3.

Of course, there are other factors that affect the waves, for example, the same wind: it can improve or worsen the quality of the waves depending on the direction. In addition, there are so-called wind swells, these are waves that do not have time to “sift” with distance, since the storm rages not so far from the coast.

So, now about the highest waves. Thanks to the winds, huge energy is accumulated, which then moves towards the coast. As it approaches the coast, the oceanic swell transforms into waves, but unlike other places on our planet, a surprise awaits it off the coast of Portugal.

Photo 4.

The thing is that it is in the area of the city of Nazare that the seabed is a huge canyon with a depth of 5000 meters and a length of 230 kilometers. This means that the oceanic swell does not undergo changes, but reaches, as it is, to the very continent, collapsing on the coastal rocks with all its might. Wave height is usually measured as the distance from the crest to the base (where, by the way, something like a trough is often sucked in, which increases the height compared to if measured by mean sea level at a given tide height).

Photo 5.

However, unlike such waves as Mavericks or Teahupu, on Nazar the ridge, even if it collapses, never hangs over the base, moreover, it is separated from the bottom by about 40 meters along the horizontal axis. Due to spatial perspective distortion, when viewed from the front, we see a water block of 30 meters, technically, it is even larger, but this is not a wave height. That is, strictly speaking, Nazaré is not a wave, but a water mountain, a pure oceanic swell, powerful and unpredictable.

Photo 6.

However, the fact that Nazaré is not exactly a wave does not make this spot any less scary and dangerous. Garrett McNamara says that Nazar is incredibly difficult to pass. Usually three people help him in the water: one pulls him out on a jet to the lineup, accelerates him into a wave and does not swim far to make sure that everything is in order with the surfer. He is backed up by a second jet, as well as a third one a little further away, the driver of which is watching all three. Also, Garrett's wife is standing on a rock near the lighthouse and tells him on the radio which waves are coming and which one can be taken. On the day he set his second record, not everything went smoothly. The first driver was knocked off the jet by a wave, so the second had to pull Garrett out of the foam, and the third hurried to the aid of the first. Everything was done clearly and quickly, so no one was hurt.

Photo 7.

Garrett himself says the following: “Of course, all these safety nets and technical devices in surfing on big waves are a kind of cheating. And in principle, you can do without them, but in this case, the chances of dying are much higher. As for me personally, since I had a wife and children, I feel more responsibility for them and fear for my life, so I go to all technical tricks in order to most likely return home alive. ”

Photo 8.