Giant waves are called "tsunamis". They are of enormous height and width, arising in the ocean under the influence of water (most often due to earthquakes). The word itself comes from Japanese language, where it consists of two hieroglyphs - “wave” and “bay”. It was Japan and other countries with access to the Pacific Ocean that became victims of killer waves. In the Pacific region, a wave in the world was witnessed, which hit the coast of American Alaska.

Top 1. Tsunami in Lituya Bay, 1958

Lituya Bay is located in the northeastern part of the Gulf of Alaska. The bay is separated from the outlet to the ocean by a strait about 500 meters wide. Lituya Bay is about 11 kilometers long and about 3 kilometers wide. Cenotaph Island is located in the center of the bay.

The catastrophe was provoked by the earthquake that took place on July 9, 1958. It caused a rockfall on the Gilbert Glacier northeast of the bay. About 30 million cubic meters rock and ice fell into the eastern part of the bay from a height of about 900 meters. The tsunami caused by the rockfall hit both sides of the bay and Cenotaph Island. The La Gaussy spit, located near the epicenter of the wave, was washed away almost completely. The wave height was 524 meters. The tsunami uprooted most of the trees in the passage area.

Five people became victims of a huge wave. Two of them were caught by the tsunami on a fishing boat. The people who went out into the bay on that fateful day on two more ships miraculously survived and were picked up by rescuers.

Top 2. Indian Ocean, 2004

The 2004 tsunami went down in history as the deadliest - more than 230 thousand people became victims of the wrath of nature. The beginning of a giant wave was laid by an underwater earthquake with a magnitude of 9 points. The tsunami waves that hit the land reached a height of thirty meters.

Radar satellites recorded an underwater tsunami, whose height after the earthquake was about 60 centimeters. Unfortunately, these observations could not help prevent a catastrophe, because it took several hours to process the data.

Sea waves reached the coast different countries in different times. The first blow immediately after the earthquake hit the north of the island of Sumatra. The tsunami reached Sri Lanka and India only an hour and a half later. Two hours later, the waves hit the shores of Thailand.

Tsunami waves led to human casualties in countries East Africa: Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania. Sixteen hours later, the waves reached the town of Struisbaa on the coast of South Africa. A little later, tidal waves up to a meter high were recorded in the area of ​​the Japanese scientific station in Antarctica.

Part of the tsunami energy escaped into the Pacific Ocean, where tidal waves were recorded on the coast of Canada, British Columbia, Mexico. In some places, their height reached 2.5 meters, which exceeded the waves recorded off the coast of some countries located closer to the epicenter.

The most affected by the tsunami were:

• Indonesia. Three waves hit the northern part of the island of Sumatra less than half an hour after the earthquake. According to survivors, the waves were taller than houses.
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands (India), where more than 4 thousand people died.
• Sri Lanka. The waves reached a height of 12 meters. The passenger train "Queen of the Sea Coast" became a victim of the tsunami. His death was the largest railway accident recent history and claimed more than 1,700 lives.
• Thailand. Waves second only to those that hit Sumatra destroyed the southwestern coast of the country. There were many tourists from other countries at the scene of the tragedy. More than 3,000 people died and 5,000 more went missing.

Top 3. Japan, 2011

In March 2011, an underwater earthquake hit the ocean east of Honshu. It provoked a tsunami wave that devastated the coast of Honshu and other islands of the archipelago. The waves reached the opposite shore Pacific Ocean. In the coastal regions of South American countries, an evacuation was announced, but the waves did not pose a big threat.

The waves reached the islands of the Kuril chain. Several thousand Russian citizens were evacuated from the coastal areas of the islands by the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Waves up to three meters high were recorded near the village of Malokurilskoye.

The first tsunami waves hit the Japanese archipelago within half an hour after completion. The highest height was witnessed near the city of Miyako (northern Honshu) - 40 meters. The coast received the heaviest blows within an hour after the earthquake.

The tsunami caused damage to three Japanese prefectures in Honshu. Also, the cataclysm provoked an accident at a nuclear power plant. The city of Rikuzentakata was actually washed into the ocean - almost all the buildings went under water. The tragedy of 2011 claimed the lives of more than 15 thousand inhabitants of the Japanese archipelago.

Probably, the sparseness of the state of Alaska was the reason why the largest wave in the world did not lead to massive loss of life. Today, the earthquake and tsunami monitoring system has been improved, which makes it possible to reduce the number of victims during disasters. But coastal residents are still at risk due to the unpredictable behavior of the ocean.

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 leave for the town of Nazare on the west coast of Portugal. It is here, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, that you can see both 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.

In summer, the small resort town of Nazare, with a population of about 15,000, is a classic tourist attraction in the country. Its long sandy beaches are 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. AT this case the creator of giant waves was the atypical topography of the ocean floor near the city of Nazare, in particular the underwater North Canyon 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 of the 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's 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 for the creation of large 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 for the occurrence of large waves, then everything can change in just an hour and ruin a 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 time of the wave, the first assistant on the jet ski tries to drag the surfer as high as possible onto the crest, and keeps close to him for safety. 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 from the shore, a gray-haired wife watches everything 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 Nazar 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 sea ​​conditions and wind forecasting.

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 via a 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 little man running away from a multi-ton huge wave, one can imagine how great and powerful not only the Russian language, but also the Atlantic Ocean is.

1. As a rule, many famous surf spots 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.
2. 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 from World War II.

Megatsunami in Lituya Bay, Alaska, USA - the most destructive wave in the world (its length is more than 500 meters). The disaster occurred in 1958 on July 9. It was the largest natural disaster known to science. A little later, scientists called the phenomenon “megatsunami”.

Causes of the disaster

A giant wave is caused by an earthquake of 8 magnitudes off the Alaska Peninsula. The tremors caused a huge landslide that threw a massive glacier and piles of rocks into the water into Gilbert Bay. They became the main cause of the giant wave.

Consequences of the disaster

Large casualties were avoided: ten fishermen were killed and vegetation along the coast was destroyed. The recollections of eyewitnesses say that "the mountains trembled terribly, the stones rushed down rapidly, then suddenly they disappeared, and a giant wall of water appeared."

Presumably, similar tsunamis occurred here before with an interval of several decades. The tsunamis that occurred were also quite high, but the traces of their impact were finally eliminated by a natural disaster in 1958.

Next megatsunami

Megatsunami in Lituye was the first case for science when a giant wave was caused not only by an earthquake, but also by a landslide.

One of the strongest tsunamis was the aftermath of an earthquake in Indian Ocean December 26, 2004. It's a deadly, natural disaster in modern history. The devastating wave dealt a huge blow to Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Somalia. The capital of the Maldives, Male, was badly damaged during the tsunami. Parts of the city had to be rebuilt.

The death toll from the disaster is estimated at 235,000.

It is sad that many of the victims are tourists who spent their holidays on the shores of Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.

Monster waves, white waves, killer waves, rogue waves - all this is the name of one terrible phenomenon that can take a ship by surprise. TravelAsk will talk about the biggest waves in the world.

What is the peculiarity of giant waves

Killer waves are fundamentally different from tsunamis (and we will also tell you about the biggest tsunamis). The latter come into action as a result of natural geographical disasters: earthquakes or landslides. A giant wave appears suddenly, and nothing portends it.

Moreover, they were considered fiction for a long time. Mathematicians even tried to calculate their height and peculiarity of dynamics. However, the cause of the giant waves has not been established.

First recorded giant wave

Such an anomaly was first recorded on January 1, 1995 on the Dropner oil platform in the North Sea off the coast of Norway. The height of the wave reached 25.6 meters, and they called it the Dropner wave. In the future, space satellites were used to conduct research. And within three weeks, another 25 giant waves were recorded. In theory, such waves can reach 60 meters.

The highest killer waves in history

The most gigantic wave in history was noted on the territory of the Agulhas Current (South Africa) in 1933 by sailors from the American ship Ramapo. Its height was 34 meters.

In the mid-Atlantic, the Italian transatlantic liner Michelangelo was hit by a killer wave in April 1966. As a result, two people were washed out to sea, and 50 were injured. The ship itself was also damaged.

In September 1995, the Queen Elizabeth 2 liner recorded a 29-meter rogue wave in the North Atlantic. However, the British transatlantic ship turned out to be not one of the timid: the ship tried to "saddle" the giant, which appeared right on the course.

In 1980, a meeting with a white wave ended in tragedy for the English cargo ship Derbyshire. The wave broke through the main cargo hatch and flooded the hold. 44 people died. It happened off the coast of Japan, the ship sank.

On February 15, 1982, in the North Atlantic, a huge wave covered a drilling platform owned by Mobil Oil. She broke the windows and flooded the control room. As a result, the platform capsized, killing 84 crew members. This is a sad record for today in the number of deaths from a killer wave.

In 2000, the British cruise ship Oriana was hit by a 21-meter wave in the North Atlantic. Before that, a distress signal was received on the liner from a yacht that was damaged due to the same wave.

In 2001, all in the same North Atlantic, a giant wave hit the luxury tourist liner Bremen. As a result, a window on the bridge was broken, because of this, the ship was drifting for two hours.

Dangers on the lakes

Rogue waves can also appear on lakes. So, on one of the Great Lakes, the Upper, the Three Sisters meet - these are three giant waves that follow each other. The ancient Indian tribes who lived in this territory also knew about them. True, according to legend, the waves appeared due to the movement of a giant sturgeon that lived at the bottom. The sturgeon has never been discovered, but the Three Sisters appear here and now. In 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald cargo ship, which was 222 meters long, sank precisely because of a collision with these waves.

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 steep 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 along irregular shape 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

Reaching maximum dimensions, the waves go 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.

• The 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 haul 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 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 sandbar.

Ridge growth begins at a depth equal to half the height of the wave.

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 -.

1. 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. it worst for surf wind, it can ruin the whole skating.

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

2. Offshore– wind from the shore towards the ocean.

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

It's the wind perfect for surfing.

3. 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. In a section with different depths, the wave bends and collapses towards the shoal. 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: