, a single giant wave measured on New Year's Day 1995, finally confirmed the existence of freak waves, which had previously been considered near-mythical]] Rogue waves (also known as freak waves, monster waves, killer waves, extreme waves, and abnormal waves) are relatively large and spontaneous ocean surface waves that occur far out in sea, and are a threat even to large ships and ocean liners.

Freak waves have been cited in the media as a likely source of the sudden, inexplicable disappearance of many ocean-going vessels. One of the very few cases in which evidence exists that may indicate a freak wave incident is the 1978 loss of the freighter MS München, detailed below. In February 2000, a British oceanographic research vessel sailing in the Rockall Trough west of Scotland encountered the largest waves ever recorded by scientific instruments in the open ocean, with a SWH of and individual waves up to . "In 2004 scientists using three weeks of radar images from European Space Agency satellites found ten rogue waves, each 25 meters or higher."

A rogue wave is not the same as a tsunami. They should not be confused, however, with the hundred-year wave, which is a statistical prediction of the highest wave likely to occur in a hundred-year period in a particular body of water. These predictions are typically based on wave models which do not take rogue waves into account.

History

line in the Bay of Biscay. Published in Fall 1993 issue of Mariner's Weather Log. Credits: NOAA Photo Library]] It is common for mid-ocean storm waves to reach in height, and in extreme conditions such waves can reach heights of . However, for centuries maritime folklore told of the existence of vastly more massive waves — veritable monsters up to in height (approximately the height of a 10-story building) — that could appear without warning in mid-ocean, against the prevailing current and wave direction, and often in perfectly clear weather. Such waves were said to consist of an almost vertical wall of water preceded by a trough so deep that it was referred to as a "hole in the sea"; a ship encountering a wave of such magnitude would be unlikely to survive the tremendous pressures of up to exerted by the weight of the breaking water, and would almost certainly be sunk in a matter of minutes.

Many years of research have confirmed that waves of up to in height are much more common than mathematical probability theory would predict using a Rayleigh distribution of wave heights. In addition, pressure readings from buoys moored in the Gulf of Mexico at the time of Hurricane Katrina also indicated the presence of such large waves at the time of the storm. In fact, they seem to occur in all of the world's oceans many times every year. This has caused a re-examination of the reasons for their existence, as well as reconsideration of the implications for ocean-going ship design.

Rogue waves also occur on the Great Lakes. A phenomenon known as the "Three Sisters" is said to occur in Lake Superior when a series of three waves form that are one-third larger than the regular waves. The second wave hits the ship's deck before the first wave clears. The third incoming wave adds to the two accumulated backwashes and suddenly overloads the ship deck with tons of water. The House Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Navigation took testimony from commercial fisherman Lyle A. McDonald of Laurium, Michigan that the "Three Sister" phenomenon may have contributed to the infamous sinking of the on Lake Superior in November 1975.

Occurrence

In the course of Project MaxWave, researchers from the GKSS Research Centre, using data collected by ESA satellites, identified a large number of radar signatures that have been portrayed as evidence for rogue waves. Further research is under way to develop better methods of translating the radar echoes into sea surface elevation, but at present this technique is not proven.

Causes

Because the phenomenon of rogue waves is still a matter of active research, it is premature to state clearly what the most common causes are or whether they vary from place to place. The areas of highest predictable risk appear to be where a strong current runs counter to the primary direction of travel of the waves; the area near Cape Agulhas off the southern tip of Africa is one such area; the warm Agulhas current runs to the southwest, while the dominant winds are westerlies. However, since this thesis does not explain the existence of all waves that have been detected, several different mechanisms are likely, with localised variation. Suggested mechanisms for freak waves include the following:

* Diffractive focusing — According to this hypothesis, coast shape or seabed shape directs several small waves to meet in phase. Their crest heights combine to create a freak wave. Focusing by currents — Waves from one current are driven into an opposing current. This results in shortening of wavelength, causing shoaling (i.e., increase in wave height), and oncoming wave trains to compress together into a rogue wave. and Miles.

The spatio-temporal focusing seen in the NLS equation can also occur when the nonlinearity is removed. In this case, focusing is primarily due to different waves coming into phase, rather than any energy transfer processes. Further analysis of rogue waves using a fully nonlinear model by R.H. Gibbs (2005) brings this mode into question, as it is shown that a typical wavegroup focuses in such a way as to produce a significant wall of water, at the cost of a reduced height.

A rogue wave, and the deep trough commonly seen before and after it, may last only for some minutes before either breaking, or reducing in size again. Apart from one single rogue wave, the rogue wave may be part of a wave packet consisting of a few rogue waves. Such rogue wave groups have been observed in nature.

There are three categories of freak waves: "Walls of water" travelling up to through the ocean "Three Sisters", groups of three waves Single, giant storm waves, building up to fourfold the storm's waves height and collapsing after some seconds

A research group at the Umeå University, Sweden in August 2006 showed that normal stochastic wind driven waves can suddenly give rise to monster waves. The nonlinear evolution of the instabilities was investigated by means of direct simulations of the time-dependent system of nonlinear equations.

Applications

The possibility of the artificial stimulation of rogue wave phenomena has attracted research funding from DARPA, an agency of the United States Department of Defense. Bahram Jalali and other researchers at UCLA studied microstructured optical fibers near the threshold of soliton supercontinuum generation and observed rogue wave phenomena. After modeling the effect, the researchers announced that they had successfully characterized the proper initial conditions for generating rogue waves in any medium.

Reported encounters

It should be noted that many of these encounters are only reported in the media, and are not examples of open ocean rogue waves. Often, in popular culture, an endangering huge wave is loosely denoted as a rogue wave, while it has not been (and most often cannot be) established that the reported event is a rogue wave in the scientific sense — i.e. of a very different nature in characteristics as the surrounding waves in that sea state and with very low probability of occurrence (according to a Gaussian process description as valid for linear wave theory).

This section lists a limited selection of notable incidents.

Nineteenth century

The Eagle Island lighthouse (1861) – water broke the glass of the structure's east tower and flooded it, implying a wave that surmounted the cliff and overwhelmed the tower. Flannan Isles (1900) – three lighthouse keepers vanished after a storm that resulted in wave-damaged equipment being found above sea level.

Twentieth century

- In 1909, it left Durban, South Africa with 211 passengers and crew but never made it to Cape Town, South Africa. (1933) – triangulated at . (1942) – broadsided by a wave and listed briefly about 52 degrees before slowly righting. SS Michelangelo (1966) – hole torn in superstructure, heavy glass smashed above the waterline, and 3 deaths. Esso Languedoc A 25-30m wave washed across the deck from the stern of the French supertanker, and was photographed by the first mate, Philippe Lijour, in 1980. Fastnet Lighthouse Struck by 48m wave in 1985 Draupner wave (North Sea, 1995) – First rogue wave confirmed with scientific evidence, it had a maximum height of . – North Atlantic, September 1995, , during Hurricane Luis:
The Master said it "came out of the darkness" and "looked like the White Cliffs of Dover." ''Newspaper reports at the time described the cruise liner as attempting to "surf" the near-vertical wave in order not to be sunk.

Twenty-first century

and Caledonian Star (South Atlantic, 2001) encountered freak waves. Bridge windows on both ships were smashed, and all power and instrumentation lost. Aleutian Ballad, (Bering Sea, 2005)
Footage of what is identified as a rogue wave appears in an episode of Deadliest Catch. The wave cripples the vessel, causing the boat to tip for a short period onto its side. One of the few video recordings of what might be a rogue wave. It has been suggested that these types of waves may be responsible for the loss of several low-flying aircraft, namely U.S. Coast Guard helicopters on Search and Rescue missions. MS Louis Majesty, (Gulf of Marseille, Mediterranean Sea, March 2010). An unexpected pack of three waves of hit the ship while on a cruise between Carthagena and Marseille. Two passengers were killed in a lounge by flying glass from a shattered window. Damage to the ship was done by the second and third waves. While this wave was much lower than freak waves appearing in open oceans, published evidence indicates that its behaviour was similar to that of freak waves.

Loss estimates

Freak waves have been cited in the media as a likely source of the sudden, inexplicable disappearance of many ocean-going vessels. However, although this is a credible explanation for unexplained losses, there is to date little clear evidence supporting this hypothesis nor any cases where the cause has been confirmed, and the claim is contradicted by information held by Lloyd's Register. One of the very few cases in which evidence exists that may indicate a freak wave incident is the 1978 loss of the freighter MS München.

In popular culture

The film Poseidon from 2006 explores the capsizing of an ocean liner by a rogue wave and the struggle of passengers to survive. The film is a remake of The Poseidon Adventure from 1972, itself an adaptation of Paul Gallico's novel, which was published in 1969. In the original novel and film, the ship was hit by a tsunami, which raised some criticism as tsunamis rarely - if ever - affect ships at sea. Rogue Wave is the name of an indie rock band from Oakland, California.

In the final minutes of The Perfect Storm (2000), a massive rogue wave appears just as the title storm of the movie appears to be dying down, and capsizes the Andrea Gail. In the real-life loss of the Andrea Gail, there is no evidence that the boat encountered or was destroyed by a rogue wave. However, rogue waves were considered a real possibility due to the magnitude of the storm.

See also

Antarctic Circumpolar Current (ACC) or West Wind Drift

Agulhas Current

Bermuda Triangle

Clapotis

Extreme value theory

Gulf Stream

Kuroshio Current

Megatsunami

Ocean current

Ocean surface wave

Sneaker wave

Soliton

White squall

Resonance

References

External links

MaxWave report and WaveAtlas

Freak waves spotted from space, BBC News Online

Ship-sinking monster waves revealed by ESA satellites

MaxWave project

Rogue Wave Workshop (2005)

Rogue Waves 2004

Other

BBC News Report on Wave Research, 21 August 2004

The BBC's Horizon "Freak waves" first aired in November 2002

'Giant Waves on the Open Sea', lecture by Professor Paul H Taylor at Gresham College, 13 May 2008 (available for video, audio or text download)

TV program description

New Scientist article 06/2001

Freak Wave Research in Japan

Rogue Giants at Sea, New York Times, July 11, 2006

Illustrations of the ways rogue waves can form — with descriptions for layman, photos and animations.

* Rogue Waves-Monsters of the deep, The Economist, September 17, 2009, p. 94

Category:Oceanography Category:Ocean currents Category:Water waves Category:Weather hazards

:For the Australian rules player, see Michael Parsons (footballer). Mike Parsons (born March 13, 1965 in California) is a surfer sponsored by the Billabong company who famously successfully surfed a 66-foot wave at Cortes Bank, CA in 2001, for which he was awarded $66,000, the highest prize ever awarded in the history of professional surfing. This money was awarded by the Billabong XXL competition which has run since 2001 paying tribute to the biggest waves ridden each year. This feat at Cortes Bank was popularised by the film Billabong Odyssey. This opening sequence of the film has gone on to become a viral video, attributed to a number of different surfers, locations, and in many cases, a Tsunami. Parsons recently broke his record on January 5, 2008, at Cortes Bank, when he was photographed surfing a wave that the Billabong XXL judged to be 77 feet, which should put him in the Guinness Book of World Records, officially, for biggest wave ever surfed. Unofficially the biggest wave ever surfed remains Ken Bradshaw's wave at Log Cabins, Oahu on January 28, 1998, at over 80 feet.

He was inducted into the Surfer's Hall of Fame in Huntington Beach, California in 2008.

References

External links

Video of the wave "Jaws" at Maui (Hawaï), for the World Cup Champion of Tow In

Category:1965 births Category:Living people Category:American surfers Category:Tow-in surfers

Name	Eddie Aikau
Birth date	May 05, 1946
Birth place	Kahului, Hawaii, U.S.
Death date	March 17, 1978
Residence	Kahului, Hawaii
Height
Weight
Years active	1959-1978
Sponsors	Polynesian Voyaging Society
Stance	Regular (natural) foot
Favorite waves	Waiamea Bay (North Shore, Oahu), Sunset Beach (North Shore, Oahu), Pipline (North Shore, Oahu)

Edward Ryan Makua Hanai Aikau (Kahului, Hawaii, May 4, 1946–March 17, 1978) was a well-known Hawaiian lifeguard and surfer. The words Makua Hanai in Eddie Aikau's full name mean feeding parent, an adoptive, nurturing, fostering parent, in the Hawaiian language. As the first lifeguard at Waimea Bay on the island of Oahu, he saved many lives and became famous for surfing the big Hawaiian surf, winning several awards including the 1977 Duke Kahanamoku Invitational Surfing Championship.

Life

Born in Kahului, Maui, Aikau was the third child of Solomon and Henrietta Aikau. Aikau first learned how to surf at Kahului Harbor on its shorebreak. He moved to Oahu with his family in 1959, and at the age of 16 left school and started working at the Dole pineapple cannery; The paycheck allowed Aikau to buy his first surfboard. In 1968, he became the first lifeguard hired by the City & County of Honolulu to work on the North Shore. The City & County of Honolulu gave Aikau the task of covering all of the beaches between Sunset and Haleiwa. Not one life was lost while he served as lifeguard of Waimea Bay, as he braved waves that often reached high or more. In 1971, Aikau was named Lifeguard of the Year.

Lost at sea

In 1978, the Polynesian Voyaging Society was seeking volunteers for a 30day, journey to follow the ancient route of the Polynesian migration between the Hawaiian and Tahitian island chains. At 31 years of age, Aikau joined the voyage as a crew member. The Hokule'a left the Hawaiian islands on March 16, 1978. The double-hulled voyaging canoe developed a leak in one of the hulls and later capsized about twelve miles (19 km) south of the island of Molokai. In an attempt to get help, Aikau paddled toward Lanai on his surfboard. Although the rest of the crew was later rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Cape Corwin, Aikau was never seen again. He removed his lifejacket since it was hindering his paddling of the surfboard. The ensuing search for Aikau was the largest air-sea search in Hawaii history.

The last person lifeguard Eddie Aikau rescued at Waimea Bay was a young TV producer named John Orland, who had just wrapped up production on a TV pilot called the "Hawaii Experience," starring Bob Crane from Hogan's Heroes. He was rescued on February 19, 1978, less than a month before Eddie Aikau was lost at sea.

Memorial surfing invitational

In Aikau's honor, the surfwear company Quiksilver sponsors the “The Eddie”—the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational in Memory of Eddie Aikau at Waimea Bay. The idea of the Quiksilver Big Wave Invitational was created by Bruce Raymond and Bob McKnight.

Since its inception (the first Eddie was held at Sunset Beach in 1985; in 1987 Eddie Aikau's younger brother Clyde Aikau won the first Eddie after it moved to Waimea Bay), the tournament has only been held eight times, due to a precondition that open-ocean swells reach a minimum of 20 feet (this translates to a wave face height of over 30 feet). The most recent tournament was in December 2009, when waves in the bay reached 30 to high. The contest only invites 28 big-wave riders to participate in two rounds of competition. The event does not allow the use of jet skis to tow surfers into the waves.

Popular culture

In the 1970s, bumper stickers and T-shirts with the phrase "Eddie Would Go" spread around the Hawaiian Islands and to the rest of the world. According to maritime historian Mac Simpson, "Aikau was a legend on the North Shore, pulling people out of waves that no one else would dare to. That's where the saying came from -- Eddie would go, when no else would or could. Only Eddie dared."

Other variations of the phrase include "Eddie would throw" (in support of the University of Hawaii's passing attack by Colt Brennan under June Jones), "Eddie wouldn't crow" (in opposition to boastful and egotistical surfers), and "Eddie would hoe" (in support of Native Hawaiian agricultural outreach programs). Another variation used recently during the 2008 election campaign for Honolulu rail transit was the slogan, "Eddie would ride."

See also

Duke Kahanamoku

References

Further reading

Goes, Sergio. Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero [Film]

External links

Eddie Aikau Foundation

Charleyproject: Eddie Aikau

Globalsurfing: Eddie Surfing Wallpapers

Quiksilver Eddie Aikau Invitational 2007

Surfline: Eddie Aikau

Category:1946 births Category:1978 deaths Category:American surfers Category:American surf lifesavers Category:Native Hawaiian people Category:Hokulea Category:Sportspeople from Hawaii